Buried Libra, Meta returns with a more cautious stablecoin strategy
Mark Zuckerberg is not Michael Saylor, the MicroStrategy guru who piles up bitcoin like others do canned goods. The Meta boss couldn’t care less. Yet, completely ignoring the crypto industry risks missing a train. A train heading towards 3 billion potential users. So Meta returns to the stablecoin dance. Slowly, carefully. With a lesson etched into its memory with a red-hot iron: never make the same mistake again.
In brief
- Meta prepares the integration of stablecoins on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp via an external partner.
- Stripe is the favored candidate after acquiring Bridge and its CEO joining Meta’s board.
- Unlike the aborted Libra project, Meta will not issue its own cryptocurrency this time.
- The 2025 GENIUS Act now provides a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins in the United States.
The failure of Libra still haunts Zuckerberg’s stablecoin strategy
First, we must remember the fiasco. In 2019, Meta unveiled Libra, a global currency backed by a basket of currencies. Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe: all the big names signed on. Then everything collapsed like a house of cards. The US regulators showed their teeth. Janet Yellen publicly lambasted the project.
The partners, panicked, fled one by one. In 2022, Diem, the name for the resurrection, died with barely any notice. Five years later, Meta tries a comeback. But the approach has radically changed. A source close to the matter :
They want to do it, but barely.
Translation: Meta will no longer touch stablecoin issuance. Never again. The company has understood that creating its own currency is exposing itself alone against regulators.
When stablecoins meet super apps, the crypto landscape changes
Second, the stablecoin market has deeply changed. In 2019, at the time of Libra, this sector barely weighed 1 billion dollars. Today, it comfortably exceeds 300 billion. It is no longer a niche reserved for crypto enthusiasts. It has become a full-fledged industry.
The GENIUS Act, signed by President Trump in July 2025, established a clear federal framework for issuers. Rules now exist. Actors can rely on them without fear.
In this new setting, Stripe, Meta’s historic partner, has taken a considerable lead. Its subsidiary Bridge, acquired for 1.1 billion dollars in October 2024, obtained conditional approval from the OCC in February 2026. The technical rails are laid, certified, regulated. Meta just has to use them for its 3 billion users.
The Stripe-Bridge-Meta trio is setting up to dominate payments
Next, let’s observe the men and their alliances. Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, joined Meta’s board in April 2025. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together with relentless logic. Meta will not launch its own stablecoin, contrary to rumors. It will simply connect its apps to Stripe’s proven infrastructure.
Content creators, the first targeted, will be able to be paid in stablecoins on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. No more commissions nibbling at their income. No more endless delays of international transfers. It is a silent but formidable declaration of war.
Elon Musk wants to make X a super app. Telegram is making its moves. But Meta, with its demographic firepower, can crush them by numbers. Spokesperson Andy Stone tried to calm things down on X:
Nothing has changed; there is still no Meta stablecoin. This is about enabling individuals and businesses to make payments on our platforms using the method of their choice.
True in form, but in substance, the infrastructure is methodically being put in place.
Meta’s discreet comeback in numbers
- 2019-2022: Aborted launch of Libra, scheduled death of Diem;
- 300 billion: current capitalization of the global stablecoin market;
- 1.1 billion: price paid by Stripe to acquire Bridge in October 2024;
- April 2025: Patrick Collison officially joins Meta’s board;
- February 2026: Bridge obtains conditional approval from the OCC.
Falling behind on cryptos was understandable five years ago. The landscape was fuzzy, the risks uncertain. Today, stablecoins are entering salaries and everyday life. The BVNK report confirms it: payments in stablecoins are exploding. Standing idly by against this tidal wave would no longer be prudence. It would be madness. Meta has understood. Who will be next?
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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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