Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is planning a strategic return to the cryptocurrency space in the second half of 2026. This marks a significant shift four years after the collapse of its ambitious Diem (formerly Libra) project due to intense regulatory pressure. Unlike its previous attempt to launch a proprietary global digital currency, Meta's new strategy is pragmatic and compliance-focused, centered on integrating existing stablecoin infrastructure into its platforms rather than issuing its own token.
The initiative is reportedly led by Meta executive Ginger Baker, who has prior experience at Ripple and ties to the Stellar Development Foundation. The company has sent Requests for Product (RFPs) to several crypto infrastructure firms to help administer stablecoin-based payments. Stripe is widely viewed as a leading potential pilot partner, especially after its CEO joined Meta's board in 2025 and following Stripe's 2024 acquisition of stablecoin firm Bridge.
The primary use case is solving the practical problem of cross-border creator payouts. Meta aims to use stablecoins as a low-cost settlement layer to pay Instagram and Facebook creators globally, particularly for smaller transfers around $100 that are currently burdened by high wire transfer and currency conversion fees. The company is adopting a "stablecoin-agnostic" framework, meaning it could integrate established digital dollars like USD Coin (USDC) or Tether (USDT).
This strategic pivot is enabled by a friendlier U.S. regulatory backdrop in early 2026, particularly following the passage of the GENIUS Act in 2025. The new federal framework provides clearer rules for large technology firms to integrate payment stablecoins, reducing the legal uncertainty that derailed Meta's earlier ambitions.
The stablecoin plan is not isolated but forms part of a broader 2026 vision Meta calls "agentic commerce." The company is developing AI agents that can compare products, manage shopping decisions, and potentially execute transactions on behalf of users. In this model, stablecoins become the settlement rail for these autonomous payments. This aligns with Meta's massive AI investment program, which includes projected capital expenditures of $115–$135 billion for 2026 and major multi-year hardware agreements with NVIDIA and AMD. Resources are being reallocated from its metaverse division, Reality Labs, where spending is being reduced by up to 30%.
By leveraging WhatsApp's global user base of over 3 billion people, Meta also sees potential in the cross-border remittance market, positioning itself as a competitor to traditional providers. The move is also seen as a competitive response to other platforms like Elon Musk's X and Telegram, which are expanding financial services within their ecosystems.
