X may start paying creators in USDC

X may begin paying creators in USDC. The platform is considering the use of stablecoins to reward content creators as part of a major overhaul of its monetization system. Elon Musk is simultaneously developing X Money and is already linking creators’ earnings to X’s financial system. If USDC does indeed become the next piece of this puzzle, cryptocurrency could reach the platform’s audience on a massive scale—not through trading or investing, but as a standard form of compensation for content creation.

X is considering payments to creators in USDC

On August 20, reports emerged that X is discussing the use of stablecoins to pay content creators. Circle’s USDC is among the options being considered.

No final decision has been made yet, and X has not officially announced the launch of such payments. Therefore, it is currently accurate to refer to this as a possibility under consideration, rather than a completed integration.

But the timing of this announcement is particularly interesting. X is completely overhauling the existing monetization system right now.

As of August 7, the platform is no longer accepting new participants in the Creator Revenue Sharing program, and the program will be closed on September 7. Starting September 8, X will begin transitioning to the new Original Content Rewards system, which places a greater emphasis on original content.

To participate in the new program, you must have at least 500 verified subscribers and 500,000 eligible views over the past 90 days. X specifically emphasizes that it intends to reward original writing, analysis, videos, photos, graphics, and substantive comments more heavily, rather than simply copying others’ content.

In other words, X is changing not only the way money is paid out, but also the very principle behind what the platform wants to pay creators for.

Author earnings are already built into X Money

And here comes what is perhaps the most interesting part of the whole story.

X Money is already rolling out to some users in the U.S. It’s a financial account within X that offers bank transfers, bill payments, direct deposit of paychecks, an X card, cashback, and interest on funds. X promises up to 6% APY, 3% cashback on eligible purchases, and up to $10 million in aggregate FDIC coverage through its partner banking network.

The most important thing is that payments to authors are now directly linked to X Money.

X's official guide states that creators can set up either Stripe or an X Money Account to receive payments, provided that feature is available for their account.

For Premium users, the standard interest rate on funds in X Money is 4% APY. If a user has received at least $1,000 in qualifying deposits over the past 34 days, the rate increases to 6% APY.

And X specifically includes among such qualifying deposits not only salaries or standard bank direct deposits, but also:

Creator Revenue Sharing payouts
and
Creator Subscriptions payouts.

The creator produces content within X, gets paid for it, and keeps the money within X Money—and the payments for the content themselves help the creator earn a higher return on that money.

This is no longer just about monetizing posts.

X is, in effect, beginning to build a closed financial system centered on its own creator.

Musk is gradually transforming X into an economic platform

Since acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has repeatedly spoken of his intention to turn X into a universal app, where the social network would be just one of its features.

X already combines a social network, subscriptions, payments to creators, Grok, a financial account, bank transfers, a card, and interest income on funds.

Now, another layer—stablecoins—could potentially be added to this structure.

If X does indeed add digital dollar payments, the stablecoin will be built directly into the content creation economy.

Users will be able to earn cryptocurrency not because they decided to buy it on an exchange, but because they wrote a text, shot a video, or created other content that X decided to reward.

Cryptocurrency is making its way into places where it wasn't previously available

For many years, efforts to popularize cryptocurrency have revolved around a single scenario: attracting new users to an exchange and convincing them to buy an asset.

Model X could potentially operate in reverse.

The user may not even be looking for cryptocurrency in the first place. Their income becomes the source of their first digital asset.

And this is a fundamentally different audience.

The author doesn't necessarily have to be interested in trading, DeFi, meme coins, or Bitcoin price movements. They simply create content and get paid.

For cryptocurrency, this means stepping outside its usual environment.

In this model, USDC ceases to be solely a cryptocurrency market instrument and becomes a standard method of payment for digital work.

Why is USDC the best choice for this task?

In the context of regular payments to creators, choosing a stablecoin makes much more sense than Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dogecoin.

The author's income should be of a predictable value. A payment calculated in dollars should not lose or gain a few percent by the time it is received.

USDC is specifically designed to maintain a value of approximately one dollar.

Therefore, the potential integration of USDC does not necessarily contradict Musk's long-standing support for Dogecoin.

These assets simply serve different purposes.

DOGE may remain a cryptocurrency asset, while USDC may be used as a settlement instrument.

X is already paying creators real money

X already has a robust monetization system in place.

Creator Revenue Sharing provides for payments every two weeks, and the minimum payout amount is currently $30.

Separately, through Creator Subscriptions, creators can receive up to 97% of the revenue that X generates from their content after app store commissions, as long as the creator’s total earnings from X’s monetization products have not reached $50,000.

In other words, X isn't starting the creator economy from scratch.

The economy already exists.

The company is currently changing its compensation distribution rules, linking earnings to X Money, and at the same time exploring a new method of payment using stablecoins.

It is precisely the combination of these processes that makes the story far more interesting than the mere rumor about USDC.

What is still unknown

As of August 21, X had not confirmed the launch of USDC payments.

It is unclear whether USDC will be selected, whether the cryptocurrency will be an additional option or part of X Money’s internal infrastructure, which countries will have access, and on which blockchain network the system might operate.

Therefore, it is still too early to say that X has successfully transitioned to cryptocurrency payments.

But the basic financial structure is already in place.

X pays the authors.

X Money is already accepting these payments.

The money the author receives can help increase the return on his X Money Account from 4% to 6% APY.

X is now considering the possibility of adding stablecoins to this system.

Conclusion KLJO

If X does indeed start paying creators in USDC, it could mark a rather unusual scenario for the widespread adoption of cryptocurrency.

Until now, people have typically been drawn to crypto by investments, trading, gaming, airdrops, or attempts to make money on the market itself. Here, the motivation will be different: a user maintains an account, writes posts, and builds an audience—and suddenly has an extra incentive to be more active, because they can earn cryptocurrency for their content.

In fact, this applies even to those who previously never considered X as a source of income and had no interest in the cryptocurrency market.

And there is a strength to this approach: mass adoption may not begin by convincing people to buy cryptocurrency, but rather by simply providing them with an easy way to earn it.