Meta Plans Stablecoin Comeback Without Issuing Its Own Token

Hi! In today’s edition:

• 🏦 Meta prepares stablecoin integration across its platforms

• ₿ Bitcoin rebounds above $66,000 during Trump’s speech

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Meta Eyes Stablecoin Return, This Time at Arm’s Length

Meta is preparing a stablecoin comeback, according to a CoinDesk report, with plans to integrate dollar-pegged tokens into its platforms in the second half of this year.

Sources told CoinDesk that the company has issued a request for product to third party providers to help administer stablecoin based payments and support a new wallet integration. Stripe was mentioned as a potential partner. The payments giant acquired stablecoin firm Bridge last year, and its CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board in 2025.

Unlike its ill-fated Libra project, Meta is not building its own coin. Instead, the company appears focused on enabling payments using existing stablecoins. Bloomberg reported that Meta is testing stablecoin payments within its current payments infrastructure, though a spokesperson said there are no plans to issue a proprietary token.

The timing is notable. The U.S. regulatory backdrop has shifted since Libra was shelved in 2022, with federal stablecoin legislation now in place. If executed carefully, Meta could plug stablecoins into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, giving digital dollars access to more than 3 billion users without taking direct balance sheet risk.

Bitcoin Rebounds, Briefly Tops $66,000 During Trump Speech

Bitcoin staged a sharp rebound during President Trump’s State of the Union address, climbing above $66,000 from $64,000 before the speech. 

The move followed a volatile start to the week that saw BTC fall to $62,803 on Tuesday morning before buyers stepped in. As of 5:45 am ET, bitcoin was changing hands at $65,403, while ether traded at $1,913.

The rally unfolded as Trump highlighted economic strength and pointed to record equity market highs since the election. While crypto was not mentioned explicitly, broader risk sentiment improved during the speech, lifting digital assets alongside stocks. Smaller tokens also advanced before trimming gains.

Even so, caution lingers beneath the surface. Options data shows roughly $230 million in puts expiring March 6 clustered around the $58,000 strike, reflecting ongoing hedging demand. ETF flows have also remained under pressure in recent weeks.

The bounce demonstrates that buyers are still active on sharp dips. Whether that support can build into a sustained recovery remains the open question.

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• 🏛️ The Federal Reserve opened a public comment period to permanently remove “reputation risk” from bank supervision, formalizing a 2025 shift that prevents regulators from pressuring banks to cut off lawful but politically sensitive clients — a move widely seen as addressing crypto-related debanking concerns.

• 🔒 The Ethereum Foundation began staking 70,000 ETH from its treasury, deploying validator tools built by infrastructure firm Attestant to earn yield that will fund research, grants and ecosystem development instead of leaving its holdings idle.

• 🇺🇸🔍 Senator Richard Blumenthal launched a congressional probe into Binance after reports alleged the exchange processed $1.7 billion in transactions linked to sanctioned Iranian entities and Russia’s oil shadow fleet, requesting internal compliance records as the company — already fined $4.3 billion in 2023 for sanctions failures — denied wrongdoing and claimed it has sharply reduced exposure to high-risk jurisdictions.

• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong will issue its first stablecoin issuer licenses in March under a newly implemented regulatory framework, while also preparing legislation to license digital asset dealers and custodians, expand tokenized bond infrastructure, upgrade its wholesale CBDC settlement platform, and align crypto tax reporting with global transparency standards.

• 🏛️ The White House confirmed that President Trump has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, despite his recent public praise of Trump and criticism of Democrats on social media, signaling that unlike other crypto figures who received clemency, the imprisoned exchange founder is not currently under consideration for relief.

• 📜 A consortium of major financial institutions executed the first cross-border intraday repo using tokenized U.K. government bonds on the Canton Network, embedding interest and risk terms directly into smart contracts to test real-time collateral movement across currencies and borders.

• ⏱️ The SEC approved WisdomTree’s request to allow its tokenized Treasury money market fund to trade 24/7 at a fixed $1 price through a broker-dealer, marking a structural shift that blends traditional fund rules with instant blockchain settlement in the growing $10 billion tokenized Treasury market.

• 🔁 Kraken launched regulated perpetual futures tied to tokenized U.S. stocks and indices, extending crypto’s always-on, high-leverage derivatives model to equities so eligible global users can trade digital representations of assets like Apple and the S&P 500 around the clock.

• 💳 Stripe is reportedly exploring a potential acquisition of PayPal, a deal that would combine two payments giants with expanding stablecoin strategies — including PayPal’s $4 billion PYUSD token and Stripe’s recent blockchain infrastructure investments — signaling deeper convergence between fintech and crypto rails.

• 🤝 Bitwise acquired Chorus One, a staking specialist managing about $2.2 billion in delegated assets, to expand institutional staking services across more than 30 proof-of-stake blockchains as demand grows for earning yield on held crypto.

1. Why Investors Can't Hear Wall Street's Crypto Song by Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise

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