X explores stablecoin payments for creator royalties

Social media platform X is exploring the use of stablecoins, such as Circle's USDC, to pay royalties to content creators. The ongoing discussions coincide with a major overhaul of X's creator compensation, as the platform phases out its Revenue Sharing program in favor of the new Original Content Rewards Program launching in September 2026. The move mirrors stablecoin adoption by Elon Musk's SpaceX for Starlink payments, as well as similar creator payout initiatives by competitors like Meta.

X stablecoin creator payment exploration

• ▪Social media platform X is in ongoing discussions to explore using stablecoins, such as Circle Internet's USDC, to pay royalties to content creators
• ▪The discussions regarding X's potential stablecoin creator payouts are early and unconfirmed, according to reports citing a person familiar with the matter

Original Content Rewards Program rollout

• ▪X is launching the Original Content Rewards Program, with applications opening on September 8, 2026, to compensate creators for original ideas, expertise, reporting, and commentary
• ▪X is phasing out its long-running Creator Revenue Sharing program, having stopped new enrollments on August 7, 2026, with plans to retire the program on September 7, 2026
• ▪Under X's Original Content Rewards Program, payouts will be distributed every two weeks with a $30 minimum to Premium subscribers who maintain 500 verified followers and 500,000 impressions over 90 days

Cross-border payment efficiency rationale

• ▪SpaceX's Starlink service utilizes stablecoins to collect payments in emerging markets, converting local currencies to stablecoins and then to U.S. dollars to avoid foreign exchange exposure
• ▪Stablecoins, which have a collective market cap of over $300 billion, enable faster and cheaper cross-border transactions compared to traditional card networks and international bank wires

Musk crypto integration across companies

• ▪In March 2026, Elon Musk hired cryptocurrency veteran Benji Taylor, the former design lead for Coinbase's Base blockchain network, to lead design across X, xAI, and SpaceX
• ▪X's payment service, X Money, launched for U.S. Premium subscribers in 2026 with a Visa debit card, peer-to-peer transfers, and bill pay, but without any cryptocurrency features

Social platform stablecoin adoption trend

• ▪Meta has begun paying select content creators in USDC on the Solana and Polygon blockchain networks, reviving its stablecoin initiatives after the collapse of its Libra project
• ▪TikTok is exploring fintech integrations by testing features that allow users to send and request money directly through direct messages

5 sources