YouTube now lets U.S. creators get paid in PayPal’s stablecoin
Big Tech is continuing its cautious but steady move into crypto—and this time, it’s YouTube taking a step forward. The platform is now giving U.S.-based creators the option to receive their earnings in PayPal’s stablecoin, PYUSD.
May Zabaneh, PayPal’s head of crypto, confirmed the launch to Fortune, noting that the feature is officially live and currently limited to creators in the United States.
A Google spokesperson also confirmed the update but didn’t offer additional details.
How the new payout option works
YouTube has long used PayPal’s enterprise payouts system to compensate creators, gig workers, and contractors. Earlier in Q3, PayPal added a feature that allows people who receive payments through its system to opt in to payouts in PYUSD.
Soon after, YouTube decided to extend that option to creators who earn revenue from their content on the platform.
“The beauty of what we’ve built is that YouTube doesn’t have to touch crypto, and we can remove that complexity for them,” Zabaneh explained.
Why stablecoins are suddenly a Big Tech focus
YouTube’s move comes at a time when Google and other tech giants are showing a growing interest in stablecoins. The tokens—designed to maintain a steady value by being pegged to assets like the U.S. dollar—have been part of the crypto world for years, but mainstream adoption has surged over the last year.
Momentum accelerated after President Donald Trump signed new legislation providing regulatory clarity for stablecoins. Supporters argue the assets offer a more efficient upgrade to existing financial systems, and large fintech companies seem to agree.
Stripe, for instance, made a major bet earlier this year by acquiring stablecoin startup Bridge for $1.1 billion.
PayPal’s expanding role in crypto
Among major tech firms, PayPal has long been ahead of the pack on crypto innovation.
Back in 2020, it opened the door for users to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, and several other digital assets.
In 2023, it launched PYUSD, which has since grown to a market cap of almost $4 billion, according to CoinGecko. The stablecoin now shows up across PayPal’s products:
- Users can hold it in their main PayPal wallet
- It’s supported inside Venmo
- It can be used to pay merchants
- And starting earlier this year, PayPal said small and mid-size businesses would eventually be able to use PYUSD to pay vendors
Google has experimented with PYUSD before
While YouTube’s new payout option is the most high-profile example yet, it’s not Google’s first brush with PYUSD.
A Google Cloud executive previously told Fortune that the company had received payments from two customers in PayPal’s stablecoin.
As stablecoins continue moving into everyday financial products, YouTube’s adoption may be a sign of what’s coming next: a world where crypto-powered payments quietly run behind the scenes of the biggest online platforms.
Disclaimer: This article is a rewritten interpretation. The original version is posted on https://fortune.com/
