#BigTechStablecoin
Big tech companies are exploring stablecoin integration to reduce transaction costs and enable faster cross-border payments.
- Companies Involved:
- Apple: Discussing stablecoin functionality through Apple Pay infrastructure with Circle, the issuer of USDC stablecoin.
- X (formerly Twitter): Exploring stablecoin payments for its X Money app, with talks with Stripe about integration.
- Airbnb: Looking into digital assets and discussing stablecoin incorporation with payment partners like Worldpay.
- Google: Evaluating stablecoins for efficient payments, with Rich Widmann, Google Cloud's Web3 strategy lead, calling stablecoins "one of the biggest upgrades to payments since the SWIFT network."
- Uber: Examining stablecoins for global transfers, according to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
- Regulatory Environment: The GENIUS Act, a bill regulating stablecoins, is being debated in the US Senate. Democrats plan to add an amendment banning Big Tech companies from creating their own stablecoins.
- Partnerships and Developments:
- Stripe's Acquisition: Stripe acquired Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure startup, to enable businesses to implement stablecoin payments.
- Visa's Pilot: Visa rolled out pilots for issuing stablecoin-linked cards with Bridge in April 2025.
- Circle's IPO: Circle, the issuer of USDC stablecoin, went public with its stocks soaring nearly 200% above the IPO price.
Stablecoins have seen significant growth, with a 90% increase in market capitalization since January 2024, reaching $249.3 billion. This growth has sparked interest among big tech companies to leverage stablecoins for faster and cheaper transactions
