Meta revives stablecoin via Stripe: tech giant targets 3 billion users
📋 En bref (TL;DR)
- Planned comeback: Meta is preparing stablecoin payment integration for H2 2026 on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp
- Stripe partnership: The payments giant, whose CEO sits on Meta’s board, is the frontrunner to operate the infrastructure
- Libra lessons learned: Unlike the failed 2019 project, Meta won’t create its own currency but will use existing stablecoins
- Massive distribution: With over 3 billion users, Meta would become the largest distribution channel for stablecoins
- Targeted use case: Creator payments and low-cost international transfers, in direct competition with X and Telegram
Seven years after the bombshell Libra announcement that shook the financial world, Meta is preparing its grand return to the stablecoin universe. This time, Mark Zuckerberg has learned from the past: rather than creating a global currency that frightened regulators, the social media giant is adopting a quieter but potentially just as revolutionary strategy.
According to sources close to the matter reported by CoinDesk, Meta is targeting H2 2026 to deploy stablecoin payments on its platforms. The stakes are enormous: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp collectively have over 3 billion active users, nearly 40% of the world’s population.
From Libra to a new philosophy: Meta changes strategy
The Libra project, announced in June 2019, aimed to create a global digital currency backed by a basket of currencies. Facing fierce opposition from American and European regulators, the project was renamed Diem and ultimately abandoned in early 2022, with its assets hastily sold off.
“This thing’s dead,” Zuckerberg reportedly told Stripe’s John Collison, according to Fortune. But this apparent death concealed deep reflection on the mistakes made.
An “arm’s length” approach
The fundamental difference from Libra comes down to one revealing phrase from a source close to the matter: “They want to do this, but at arm’s length.” Concretely, Meta will no longer be a stablecoin issuer but simply a distribution channel.
This subtlety changes everything: by using existing stablecoins like Circle’s USDC, Meta avoids accusations of wanting to create a “private currency” competing with sovereign currencies. The company positions itself as a payment facilitator, not an alternative central bank.
Stripe and Bridge: the infrastructure of the new Meta Payments
The choice of partner is no accident. Meta has issued RFPs (requests for proposals) to several providers, but Stripe emerges as the natural candidate to lead this integration.
A convergence of interests
The ties between the two companies have considerably strengthened:
- October 2024: Stripe acquires Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure specialist, for approximately $1.1 billion
- April 2025: Patrick Collison, Stripe’s CEO, joins Meta’s board of directors
- February 2026: Bridge receives conditional approval from the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) for a national trust bank charter
This last approval is crucial: it allows Bridge to operate “within a clear federal framework,” exactly the kind of regulatory guarantee Meta needs to move forward confidently.
Exploding volumes
In its 2025 annual letter published Monday, Stripe indicates that Bridge’s transaction volume quadrupled last year. “Stablecoin payments are advancing quietly but inexorably, with real adoption continuing its course,” writes the company.
The GENIUS Act: a transformed regulatory landscape
If Libra hit a political wall, the American regulatory landscape has radically changed since. The GENIUS Act, signed by President Trump in July 2025, establishes for the first time a federal legal framework for stablecoin issuers in the United States.
This historic law opened the floodgates to new players and legitimized stablecoins as regulated financial instruments. Fintech analyst Simon Taylor summarizes: “Stablecoins have gone from regulatory panic objects to regulated financial primitives.“
From hostility to tolerance
In 2019, Zuckerberg’s hearings before Congress turned into a trial, with lawmakers from both sides uniting against Facebook’s “risky project.” Today, the question is no longer whether stablecoins should exist, but how they should be regulated.
Meta no longer needs regulators to “like it” — only to tolerate an integration model where issuance, reserves and compliance remain in the hands of licensed partners.
Creator payments and social commerce: the targeted use cases
Meta’s interest focuses on a concrete problem: reducing friction in international payments, particularly for content creators. A $100 transfer to an influencer in Brazil or the Philippines today generates disproportionate banking and exchange fees.
The creator economy in the crosshairs
With Instagram Reels, Facebook monetization and WhatsApp Business, Meta has a massive creator ecosystem that could benefit from:
- Reduced costs for cross-border payments
- Instant settlements versus traditional banking delays (3-5 days)
- Global accessibility for unbanked creators
The race to “super apps”
This move places Meta in direct competition with Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), which is also preparing crypto payment features, and Telegram, which already integrates blockchain payment solutions. The common goal: become a “super app” like China’s WeChat, combining messaging, social networks and financial services.
The challenges awaiting Meta
Despite a more favorable context, several obstacles remain on Meta’s path.
The trust deficit
The Cambridge Analytica affair and controversies over platform governance have durably damaged Meta’s reputation. Any project involving users’ financial data will be scrutinized with particular attention by regulators and public opinion.
Open technical questions
Several questions remain unanswered:
- Which stablecoins will be supported? Circle’s USDC seems favored given its regulatory positioning
- Will payments be visible on-chain or abstracted for the end user?
- How will Meta handle wallet custody and KYC/AML compliance?
- Will non-US markets serve as regulatory sandboxes before US deployment?
User experience, the key battleground
Stablecoins work perfectly in B2B and technical flows. But mass adoption often stumbles on user interface. Meta will need to make crypto payments as simple as a PayPal transfer to win over its 3 billion users.
A turning point for stablecoin adoption?
If Meta succeeds in its bet, the implications go far beyond the company itself. Giving access to low-cost digital dollar payments to 3 billion people would represent the largest distribution channel ever created for stablecoins.
For the crypto ecosystem, this is potentially the long-awaited mass adoption event — not through a $500,000 Bitcoin or complex DeFi, but via a simple “Send money” button on WhatsApp.
The second half of 2026 will tell us whether Meta has truly learned from the Libra failure, or whether history is doomed to repeat itself.
📚 Glossary
- Stablecoin: A cryptocurrency whose price is pegged to a stable asset, usually the US dollar. Unlike Bitcoin, a stablecoin aims to maintain a 1:1 parity with its reference currency.
- USDC: USD Coin, a stablecoin issued by Circle and backed by the US dollar. Considered one of the most regulated stablecoins on the market.
- On-chain: Refers to transactions recorded directly on a blockchain, traceable and immutable. As opposed to “off-chain” transactions that occur outside the blockchain.
- Custody: Secure storage service for digital assets. The question of who holds the private keys to wallets is crucial for fund security.
- OCC: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the US regulator supervising national banks. Its approval is required to operate certain financial services in the United States.
- KYC/AML: Know Your Customer / Anti-Money Laundering. Mandatory identity verification and anti-money laundering procedures imposed on financial players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Meta create its own cryptocurrency like Libra?
No. Unlike the Libra/Diem project, Meta does not plan to issue its own currency. The company will use existing stablecoins like USDC through partners like Stripe, positioning itself as a distributor rather than an issuer.
When will stablecoin payments be available on Facebook and WhatsApp?
According to CoinDesk sources, Meta is targeting integration in H2 2026. The exact timeline will depend on partner negotiations and regulatory approvals.
Why did Meta abandon the Libra project?
Libra was abandoned in the face of massive opposition from American and European regulators who looked unfavorably on a private company creating a global currency. Congressional hearings and political pressure doomed the project, whose assets were sold in 2022.
What is Stripe’s role in this project?
Stripe, through its subsidiary Bridge (acquired for $1.1 billion), would provide the technical infrastructure for stablecoin payments. Stripe’s CEO, Patrick Collison, has sat on Meta’s board since April 2025, strengthening ties between the two companies.
Will Meta crypto payments be secure?
Meta will work with regulated partners operating under US OCC supervision. Standard KYC/AML procedures will apply. However, details on wallet custody and user protection have not yet been communicated.
📰 Sources
This article is based on the following sources:
- CoinDesk – Original article revealing Meta’s plans, citing three sources close to the matter (February 24, 2026)
- Blockhead – Analysis of the Stripe-Meta partnership and regulatory context (February 25, 2026)
- Brave New Coin – In-depth analysis comparing current strategy with the Libra failure
How to cite this article: Fibo Crypto. (2026). Meta revives stablecoin via Stripe: tech giant targets 3 billion users. Retrieved from https://fibo-crypto.fr/en/blog/meta-stablecoin-stripe-comeback-2026
