TikTok Shop has been at the forefront of the social commerce surge, where influencers’ live streams and product videos link directly to checkout. Social platforms are now among the fastest-growing segments in e-commerce.

Frictionless payments have been a key driver of this growth. Platforms that enable users to buy directly see higher engagement and conversions. A stablecoin could make transactions faster, cheaper, and more seamless—integrating social media with financial services in real time.

Shifting the Strategy

Recognizing this potential, Meta, which reaches about 3 billion users across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, is reviving its plans to introduce a stablecoin within its ecosystem. Such a launch could deepen the company’s role in social commerce while also positioning it as a major player in financial services.

WhatsApp acts as a communication layer for a large portion of cross-border payments, commerce, and remittances—so stablecoins could become the settlement layer, significantly reducing fees,” said Joel Hugentobler, Cryptocurrency Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. I suspect that user experience will be simplified on the backend, making it more seamless for users.”

This move will reduce payout delays, bank transfer frictions, and foreign exchange complexities,” he added. Meta has the option to pass savings to merchants, increase margins and revenue, or subsidize early on to drive adoption.”

Becoming the Default

All these benefits are why Meta pursued a stablecoin since 2019. The tech giant initially introduced its Libra stablecoin, later rebranded as Diem, but regulatory and cost challenges forced it to put the project on hold.

Following last year’s passage of the GENIUS Act, Meta revisited the idea but with a new approach. Instead of issuing a proprietary stablecoin itself, the company issued an RFP to third-party firms seeking a partner for stablecoin issuance and wallet operations.

Meta will be one of many notable players in this space,” Hugentobler said. It’s unlikely they’ll issue their own stablecoin now, but they might do so eventually. For now, their focus is distribution, wallet integration, and user experience—letting regulated issuers handle what they do best.”

One leading contender for the RFP is Bridge, recently acquired by Stripe and approved as a national trust bank. Meta targets a launch later this year to integrate stablecoins into its social commerce strategy.

If successful, this move could strengthen the link between social media and fintech, bringing Meta closer to the super app model and expanding mainstream adoption of digital assets.

This is significant,” Hugentobler said. With Meta embedding stablecoins as a native payment inside these applications, their large networks can push crypto rails for payments into the mainstream, making them the default.”