The Blubber

X’s upcoming X Money feature is expected to roll out later in 2025, giving users access to a digital wallet embedded directly in the platform. The service will allow people to store funds and send peer-to-peer payments without leaving the app. Last week, Visa was announced as X Money’s inaugural partner, enabling users to link their checking accounts and debit cards for seamless, secure fund transfers.

While Zelle, Venmo, and CashApp dominate the mobile payments space in the U.S., X Money marks a new level of integration between a social media platform and a financial service. The concept is already widespread globally—WeChat in China, for example, blends messaging, commerce, and banking into a single app.

Visa sees the collaboration as an important step in advancing the digital economy, particularly for creators, whom the company increasingly views as small business owners.

“If you think about the time it takes [for creators] to receive payouts, create new content, and grow their audience, delays in payment can be a major obstacle,” said Jonathan Kolozsvary, Visa’s global head of small business, in an interview with Fortune.

According to Visa, two-thirds of online sellers say slow payment timelines hinder their ability to expand. With Visa’s backing, X Money aims to streamline that process—offering users a central hub for posting content and receiving payments all in one place.

“Our goal is to meet them where they already are—promoting their products and building their brands—so we can help boost their success,” Kolozsvary added.

Musk’s Broader Vision: A Financial Future Inside X

The integration of financial tools into social media isn’t new. Meta launched Facebook Marketplace nearly a decade ago. TikTok now supports both a Shop and a Creator Rewards Program, allowing influencers to earn directly through the platform. And Instagram has become a major hub for in-app purchases.

What sets X Money apart is the in-app processing of instant payments, a feature that distinguishes it from competitors. TikTok, for instance, processes PayPal payouts in about 72 hours, while bank transfers can take up to 15 days.

X’s new wallet infrastructure could be just the beginning. Elon Musk has publicly suggested a future in which a user’s entire financial life exists within the X platform, even going so far as to say, “You won’t need a bank account.”

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNBC that X Money will enable creators to accept payments and hold funds directly within the app, bypassing traditional financial institutions.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino teased more to come, writing on the platform:

“This is the first of many big announcements about X Money this year.”