Meta Launches USDC Creator Payouts on Solana and Polygon in April 2026

Meta has quietly rolled out stablecoin payouts for select creators in Colombia and the Philippines, the company's first active crypto payment move since abandoning its Libra project in 2022. Using Circle's USDC on Solana and Polygon, the program lets Facebook creators receive earnings directly into a third-party crypto wallet.

Meta just moved crypto payments from experiment to live product. Follow Web Snack for daily coverage of stablecoin adoption across Big Tech and creator platforms.

How Libra's Death and the GENIUS Act Set Up Meta's Return to Stablecoins

Meta first tried building its own cryptocurrency in 2019 with the Libra project, later renamed Diem. Congressional opposition killed it in 2022, and the company spent the following two years watching from the sidelines as stablecoins slowly gained regulatory ground.

The 2025 passage of the GENIUS Act gave the whole industry something Libra never had: a federal legal framework for dollar-backed stablecoins. Meta moved quickly. In January 2025, it hired Ginger Baker - formerly of Plaid and a board member of the Stellar blockchain - as VP of Product to lead the effort. In April 2025, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta's board.

By February 2026, Meta had issued requests for proposals to external stablecoin infrastructure providers. The target: a broader integration across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in the second half of 2026.

USDC on Solana and Polygon: What the Creator Payout System Actually Does

Creators in Colombia and the Philippines can now opt into stablecoin payouts through Facebook's existing payout platform. To receive funds, they add a compatible wallet address - MetaMask, Kraken, Phantom, or Binance - that supports USDC on either Solana or Polygon. Meta deposits USDC directly once the wallet is connected.

Stripe handles the crypto-specific tax reporting tied to payouts, according to Meta's published documentation. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the rollout: "We strive to offer the most relevant payment methods, which is why we are exploring how stablecoins could become part of our suite of options."

The choice of Solana and Polygon is deliberate. Both networks offer low transaction costs, which matters most on small transfers - many international creator payouts run around $100, amounts that traditional wire fees and currency conversion can significantly reduce.

Why Meta's Stablecoin Rollout Puts the Off-Ramp Problem on Creators

Meta is not providing any fiat conversion. Creators who need local currency must transfer their USDC to a third-party exchange, trade it for pesos or Philippine piso, and withdraw to a bank account - with exchange fees at each step.

That adds friction for the creators this program is ostensibly designed to help. It also lets Meta avoid the compliance burden of operating a conversion service, which would require money transmitter licenses across multiple jurisdictions and put the company closer to the regulatory exposure it dodged by abandoning Diem.

Meta is not alone in this push. Shopify has begun accepting USDC from merchants, Western Union has announced a Solana-based stablecoin, and DoorDash is working with payments startup Tempo to pay drivers in stablecoins. The Big Tech stablecoin era is past the exploration phase.

Meta's H2 2026 Stablecoin Roadmap: What Comes After the Pilot

The current rollout in Colombia and the Philippines is a limited pilot. Meta's stated target remains a full integration across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in the second half of 2026 - broader scope, more markets, more use cases including in-app commerce and peer-to-peer transfers.

Stripe's role is positioned to grow. In October 2024, the company acquired Bridge - a stablecoin settlement infrastructure firm - for approximately $1.1 billion. In February 2026, Bridge received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a national trust bank, a credential that positions it well for regulated stablecoin custody and issuance at scale.

Meta is moving before the GENIUS Act's full implementation deadline. By using Stripe and Bridge as its infrastructure layer, Meta keeps stablecoin issuance and custody at arm's length - and stays out of a regulatory category it can't yet afford to occupy.

Stablecoin payouts are going from pilot to platform. Get Web Snack's coverage of crypto's integration into everyday creator tools - delivered daily.

P.S. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always conduct your own research and make independent decisions.