Meta Re-enters the Stablecoin Arena: Launch Expected in H2, Stripe Most Likely Partner
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Meta Re-enters the Stablecoin Arena: Launch Expected in H2, Stripe Most Likely Partner
If implemented, the payment infrastructure for 3 billion users would be reshaped—a development of significance to the entire stablecoin sector comparable to the approval of any institutional ETF.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: CoinDesk
Translation & Editing: TechFlow
TechFlow Intro: Meta’s last foray into stablecoins was the Libra initiative in 2019—a project ultimately shelved under regulatory pressure. Seven years later, with the U.S. stablecoin regulatory framework gradually taking shape, Meta is quietly repositioning itself—this time adopting a more cautious approach by partnering with third parties.
If realized, this plan would reshape the payment infrastructure for Meta’s 3 billion users—a development no less significant for the broader stablecoin ecosystem than the approval of any institutional ETF.
Key Takeaways
According to sources familiar with the matter, Meta has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to third-party companies seeking assistance in managing stablecoin-based payments.
One source indicated that Stripe is the most likely candidate to participate in Meta’s stablecoin pilot program.
Meta previously launched the Libra stablecoin initiative in 2019 (later renamed Diem), which was ultimately shut down under regulatory pressure.
Three individuals familiar with the plan told CoinDesk that Meta—the U.S. tech giant led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg—plans to enter the stablecoin space later this year, contingent upon successfully integrating with a third-party company to enable payments using USD-pegged stablecoins.
One source said Meta aims to begin stablecoin integration efforts in early second half of this year. As the plan remains undisclosed, the individual requested anonymity. Meta intends to bring on a vendor to help manage stablecoin-based payments and deploy a new wallet.
A second source said Meta has issued RFPs to multiple third-party firms and named Stripe as the top candidate for piloting Meta’s stablecoin.
Last year, Stripe acquired Bridge, a stablecoin-specialized firm, and has long been a partner of Meta. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board in April 2025.
Meta, Stripe, and Bridge were all asked for comment but had not responded as of publication.
If Meta launches its own stablecoin, it could open up payment channels to its massive user base while bypassing costly traditional banking fees—and potentially position itself as a global leader in “social commerce” and cross-border remittances.
This move would also place the tech giant in direct competition with Elon Musk’s social media platform X and messaging app Telegram—both of which are working to embed payments and become “super apps.” That, too, was one of the original goals behind the Libra initiative: to leverage Meta’s vast network—including WhatsApp’s peer-to-peer messaging service, and Facebook and Instagram’s social and commerce tools—to build an integrated payment system.
Shifting Regulatory Landscape
In 2019, Meta unveiled the Libra stablecoin (later renamed Diem), facing strong resistance—driven by a far less hospitable regulatory environment at the time, compounded by ongoing reputational damage from the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Facing intense opposition from U.S. lawmakers, the Libra Association scaled back its ambitions in 2020—from its original vision of a global digital currency backed by a basket of national currencies—to developing multiple stablecoins pegged to individual fiat currencies.
Ultimately, Meta’s stablecoin never officially launched; the project was shuttered in early 2022, with its assets sold off.
Today’s U.S. regulatory landscape looks markedly different. Several crypto regulatory frameworks are advancing—including former President Trump’s GENIUS Act, which establishes, for the first time, a legal foundation for U.S. stablecoin issuers and opens the door for new market participants. Still, U.S. regulators remain in the early stages of drafting rules governing stablecoin issuers.
Nonetheless, the Libra/Diem experience has led Meta this time to rely on third-party stablecoin payment providers rather than building its own.
“They want to do this—but keep some distance,” one source said.
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