Image Credit: Shutterstock
Key Takeaways
- X is exploring USDC and other stablecoins to pay creators under its Original Content Rewards program, replacing Revenue Sharing on September 8.
- No payment method, country coverage, or blockchain network has been finalized for any stablecoin option.
- Meta has already tested USDC creator payouts in Colombia and the Philippines using Solana and Polygon wallets via Stripe.
X is exploring stablecoin payments, including Circle’s USDC, as an option for paying creators under a new rewards program set to launch next month, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The company has not chosen a payment method, confirmed a timeline, or responded to requests for comment on the talks.
What’s Under Discussion
Talks remain active, according to the person familiar with the plans, who also works with other social media companies testing stablecoins for influencer payments.
X has not disclosed which countries, blockchain networks, or wallet infrastructure any stablecoin option would support, and it remains unclear whether creators would receive stablecoins by default or choose them as an alternative to bank transfers.
A stablecoin option could let X pay creators across multiple countries using a single dollar-linked asset rather than routing payments through separate local banking systems in each market. Any practical benefit would still depend on which networks, wallets, and conversion services the company ultimately selects, none of which has been finalized.
Original Content Rewards Replaces Revenue Sharing September 8
The talks come as X prepares to replace its existing Revenue Sharing program with Original Content Rewards on September 8. The current system continues through September 7. X described the new program’s purpose directly in its own announcement.
“Reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X.”
Under the announced rules, creators need at least 500 verified followers and at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users over the prior 90 days, on top of the platform’s existing monetization requirements.
Payments will be based on qualified impressions, defined as unique views in which at least half of a post appears on screen, from Premium subscribers viewing eligible original content. Reposted material, copied content, and posts designed mainly to manipulate engagement are not meant to qualify.
X has not said whether stablecoin payments, if adopted, would launch alongside Original Content Rewards on September 8 or be added afterward.
X Money Already Runs on Traditional Rails
X’s interest in stablecoins follows the July launch of X Money, a set of payment services for Premium and Premium+ subscribers in the United States that includes deposit accounts, instant transfers, and a Visa debit card.
Cross River Bank provides the banking infrastructure and holds customer deposits, with direct holdings eligible for FDIC coverage up to $250,000 and an optional multi-bank sweep arrangement offering eligible users up to $10 million in aggregate pass-through coverage.
X Payments itself is not a bank or an FDIC-insured institution, and the service did not include Bitcoin, Dogecoin, or stablecoin support at launch, making the reported creator-payment talks a distinct potential use of crypto within X’s broader financial push.
The Regulatory Framework Any Rollout Would Need to Fit
Any U.S. stablecoin rollout would operate within a federal framework still taking shape. The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, requires permitted stablecoin issuers to hold one-to-one reserves in approved liquid assets and meet disclosure and redemption requirements.
Most provisions are expected to take effect January 18, 2027, unless final rules activate them sooner.
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed additional rules August 17 defining when a payment stablecoin counts as issued, offered, or sold within the United States, a determination that affects licensing requirements for issuers and distribution restrictions for platforms. That proposal remains open for public comment.
Meta Has Already Tested This Model
Meta has already tested a comparable model outside the United States, introducing USDC payouts in April for select creators in Colombia and the Philippines using wallets on Solana and Polygon, with Stripe processing the underlying transactions.
Whether X’s talks lead to a similar structure, a different stablecoin entirely, or no launch at all remains unresolved, and the company has given no indication of when a decision might be announced.
Crypto experience has moved into X’s product organization ahead of any stablecoin decision. In March, the company appointed Benji Taylor as head of design after he held product and design roles at Aave, Avara, and Coinbase’s Base network, though X has not linked his appointment directly to the reported USDC talks.
Creator payouts, regardless of whether they arrive as bank transfers or stablecoins, remain taxable income for U.S. recipients, with the Internal Revenue Service requiring digital asset income to be reported at its fair market value when received.
