Hassan Maishera
TL;DR
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X is discussing whether stablecoins, including Circle’s USDC, could be used to pay royalties to content creators.
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The talks remain ongoing, and X has not publicly confirmed plans to introduce stablecoin payouts.
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Stablecoins could help the platform distribute creator payments across borders more quickly and affordably.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X is exploring whether stablecoins could be used to pay royalties to influential users who publish content on the platform, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
The talks reportedly include consideration of stablecoins such as USDC, the dollar-pegged digital asset issued by Circle Internet.
The source, who also works with other social media companies testing stablecoin-based influencer payments, said discussions with X remain ongoing.
X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
X Considers USDC for Creator Royalty Payments
Stablecoin payouts could offer X a new way to compensate creators across different countries without relying entirely on conventional banking systems or international payment networks.
Because stablecoins are designed to maintain a consistent value against assets such as the U.S. dollar, they are increasingly used for cross-border transfers and digital payments.
For creators, such a system could potentially provide faster access to earnings and reduce the costs associated with international transactions.
However, X has not announced a formal stablecoin payment initiative, identified a launch date, or confirmed which digital assets it might support.
The reported discussions come as stablecoins become a more established part of the global payments ecosystem.
The sector has a combined market capitalization exceeding $300 billion, reflecting growing demand from businesses, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency users.
Companies use stablecoins for transactions ranging from small-business payments to international transfers between corporate subsidiaries.
Major businesses have also begun exploring the technology for internal operations, including cross-border transfers among multinational companies.
For a platform with a global creator base, stablecoin payments could help streamline compensation in markets where traditional payout methods are expensive, slow, or difficult to access.
SpaceX Already Uses Stablecoins for International Payments
A potential move into stablecoin-based creator payouts would align with broader payment activity across Musk’s business empire.
SpaceX already uses stablecoins to collect cross-border payments from customers of Starlink, its satellite internet service operating in multiple emerging markets.
That existing exposure could provide X with insight into how blockchain-based payments function across different jurisdictions and financial systems.
However, neither X nor SpaceX has announced any formal connection between Starlink’s payment practices and the reported creator payout discussions.
In March, X appointed crypto industry veteran Benji Taylor as its head of design. Taylor previously led design at Coinbase’s Base blockchain network and has experience with cryptocurrency wallets and decentralized finance.
His responsibilities extend across X, xAI, and SpaceX, positioning him near several initiatives involving digital payments, AI, and financial infrastructure.
Although Taylor’s appointment highlights X’s growing interest in financial services, the company has not indicated whether he is directly involved in the stablecoin discussions.
