Apple, Airbnb, Google and Elon Musk’s X are holding early discussions with crypto companies about integrating stablecoins into their payment systems, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with Fortune.
The tech giants see stablecoins as a way to cut transaction costs and streamline international payments. Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, offering a bridge between crypto infrastructure and traditional finance. In 2024, they facilitated more than $27.6 trillion in transactions — more than Visa and Mastercard combined — according to a report from the World Economic Forum.
Stablecoins have been a fast-growing area of interest for traditional finance and that appears to be exploding even further following stablecoin issuer Circle’s (CRCL) gangbuster IPO on Thursday, Shares more than doubled from an already-raised offering price and they’re higher by another 40% today.
According to Fortune, Apple has reportedly been in talks with crypto companies since January to explore incorporating stablecoins into Apple Pay and its wider payments infrastructure. Meanwhile, X is in discussions with Stripe to potentially enable stablecoin-based transactions.
Airbnb is exploring stablecoins as a way to reduce the cut it pays to card networks like Visa and Mastercard. One crypto executive told Fortune the home-rental giant has been in talks with Worldpay since the beginning of 2025.
Political shifts, primarily U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office — has made adopting crypto less risky in the U.S. corporate landscape.
Some analysts predict the stablecoin market could hit $2 trillion by 2028. One key tailwind: the expected passage of the GENIUS Act, a bill that would establish regulatory clarity for stablecoin issuers and potentially encourage more mainstream adoption in the United States.
