Meta's Stablecoin Comeback: Zuckerberg Eyes H2 2026 Launch via Stripe

Meta is preparing to re-enter the stablecoin market in the second half of 2026, integrating dollar-pegged payments across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp through a third-party provider, CoinDesk reported Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the plans.

The tech giant has issued requests for proposals (RFPs) to external infrastructure firms, with Stripe — whose CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta's board in April 2025 — emerging as the likely partner.

Why It's Different From Libra

Meta's 2019 Libra project — later rebranded Diem — was designed as a global currency backed by a basket of assets. Regulators saw it as a private company trying to build sovereign-scale monetary infrastructure. The backlash was intense and bipartisan.

"That thing's dead," Zuckerberg reportedly told Stripe's John Collison, per Fortune reporting from May 2025.

This time, Meta is positioning itself as a distribution channel, not an issuer:

"They want to do this, but at arm's length," a source told CoinDesk.

The key difference: Meta won't mint its own stablecoin. It will plug into rails someone else runs — likely Stripe's Bridge, which received conditional OCC approval for a national trust bank charter in February 2026.

The Stripe Connection

The Stripe-Meta alignment is hard to miss:

• October 2024: Stripe acquires Bridge for ~$1.1 billion

• April 2025: Patrick Collison joins Meta's board

• February 2026: Bridge gets OCC conditional approval for national bank trust

• February 2026: Meta sends RFPs; Stripe named as likely candidate

Stripe's 2025 annual letter, also released Monday, noted that Bridge's transaction volume quadrupled last year as stablecoin adoption decoupled from crypto market cycles.

"Stablecoin payments are advancing quietly and inexorably as real-world uptake continues apace," Stripe wrote.

The Use Case: Creator Payments

Meta's interest centers on reducing friction for international creator payouts — particularly small transfers around $100 that currently incur high wire and FX fees.

With 3 billion users and a creator economy spanning Instagram Reels, Facebook monetization, and WhatsApp Business, stablecoin rails could: cut costs for cross-border settlements, speed up payouts vs. traditional banking, and position Meta against X (Musk) and Telegram in the "super app" race

Regulatory Tailwind

The GENIUS Act, signed by President Trump in July 2025, established the first federal legal framework for U.S. stablecoin issuers — a stark contrast to the hostile 2019-2022 environment that killed Diem.

Bridge's OCC charter pursuit signals the new playbook: operate inside a "clear federal framework" rather than around it.

However, questions remain, including which stablecoins Meta will support (USDC likely, given Circle's regulatory positioning), whether payouts will be onchain or abstracted, how Meta will handle wallet custody and compliance, and whether non-US markets will launch first as a regulatory sandbox.

If it works, 3 billion users get access to dollar-denominated, low-fee payments — and stablecoins get their biggest distribution channel yet.