Meta is targeting the second half of 2026 for payments from stablecoin creators, enabled by Stripe’s Bridge under new American rules.
Meta Platforms Inc. is preparing to integrate stablecoin payments on its social media platforms in the second half of 2026 through a third-party provider, CoinDesk reported, citing three people familiar with the plans.
The company has issued RFPs to external infrastructure companies, with Stripe emerging as the likely partner, according to the report. Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, joined Meta’s board of directors in April 2025.
The initiative marks a departure from Meta’s previous stablecoin efforts. The company’s 2019 Libra project, later renamed Diem, faced intense regulatory opposition and was ultimately abandoned. Libra was designed as a global currency backed by a basket of assets, which regulators saw as an attempt by a private company to build a monetary infrastructure on a sovereign scale.
According to a Fortune report from May 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Stripe’s John Collison that the Diem project was dead.
The current approach differs significantly from previous efforts. Meta will not create its own stablecoin but will instead integrate existing stablecoin infrastructure, positioning itself as a distribution channel rather than an issuer, according to a source who told CoinDesk that the company wants to pursue the initiative “at arm’s length.”
The likely integration partner is Stripe’s Bridge platform, which received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter in February 2026.
The timeline of developments includes Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge for approximately $1.1 billion in October 2024, Collison’s appointment to Meta’s board of directors in April 2025, and the OCC’s conditional approval of Bridge in February 2026, the same month Meta sent out RFPs.
In its 2025 annual letter, Stripe reported that Bridge’s trading volume quadrupled as stablecoin adoption expanded beyond cryptocurrency market cycles. “Stablecoin payments are quietly and inexorably advancing as real-world adoption continues at a steady pace,” the company said.
Meta’s goal is to reduce the costs of payments for international creators, especially small transfers of around $100 which currently face high bank transfer and exchange fees. The company’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, serve approximately 3 billion users worldwide.
Stablecoin integration could reduce cross-border settlement costs and accelerate payment speeds compared to traditional banking systems, according to the CoinDesk report. The move would also position Meta competitively against X and Telegram in developing super app features.
The regulatory environment has changed since Meta’s previous stablecoin attempt. The GENIUS Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025, established the first federal legal framework for U.S. stablecoin issuers, contrasting with the regulatory opposition that existed between 2019 and 2022.
Bridge’s pursuit of an OCC charter reflects the new regulatory approach, operating within a federal framework rather than outside of it.
Several implementation details remain unclear, including the specific stablecoins Meta will support, whether transactions will be on-chain or mined from blockchain infrastructure, how the company will manage custody and wallet compliance requirements, and whether non-US markets will serve as an initial testing ground.
Meta declined to comment on the reported plans. Stripe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.