
Elon Musk's X announces deal with Visa to launch in-app financial services
Social media site X has announced a deal with Visa as part of plans to launch a digital wallet for making instant payments on the platform.
X chief executive Linda Yaccarino said in a post to the platform that Visa was the first partner for X Money, which she said will launch with an X Wallet later this year.
The system will enable users to link their digital wallet with their bank account and debit card to transfer funds to and from their bank account, as well as make peer-to-peer payments.
The move will be X's first into financial services, and feeds into a long-term aim of the site's owner, Elon Musk, who has spoken repeatedly of his desire to create an 'everything app', where users are able to access social media, entertainment, online shopping, communications and other services without having to leave that single app.
In a post to X on the announcement, Ms Yaccarino referred to it as 'another milestone for the Everything App', adding that the X Money account would 'debut later this year'.
'First of many big announcements about X Money this year,' she said.
According to reports in the US, X Money is expected to launch in the first quarter of this year, and will initially be used to allow creators on the platform to store their funds from posting and accept payments from subscribers without needing to use third parties.
Visa has not yet commented on the announcement.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: White House reviews SpaceX contracts as Trump-Musk feud simmers, sources say
WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The White House earlier this month directed the Defense Department and NASA to gather details on billions of dollars in SpaceX contracts following the public blowout between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, four people familiar with the order told Reuters. Sparking an ongoing review, the administration ordered the agencies to scrutinize Musk's contracts to ready possible retaliation against the businessman and his companies, these people said. As Reuters reported on Thursday, Pentagon officials are simultaneously considering whether to reduce the role that SpaceX , Musk's space and satellite company, may win in an ambitious new U.S. missile defense system. Reuters couldn't determine whether the White House intends to cancel any of the approximately $22 billion in federal contracts SpaceX now has. But the review shows the administration is following through on a threat by Trump during his spat with Musk last week to possibly terminate business and subsidies for Musk ventures. 'We'll take a look at everything,' the president said, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on June 6. In an email to Reuters, a White House spokesperson didn't answer questions about Musk's business, saying the 'Trump administration is committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts.' In a separate statement, a spokesperson at NASA said the agency 'will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the president's objectives in space are met.' Neither SpaceX nor officials at the Defense Department responded to requests for comment. The people familiar with the order said the contract scrutiny is intended to give the administration the ability to move fast if Trump decides to act against Musk, who until recently was a senior advisor to the president and the head of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The review is 'for political ammunition,' one of the people said. Whether the U.S. government could legally, or practically, cancel existing contracts is unclear. But the possibility underscores concerns among governance experts that politics and personal pique could improperly influence matters affecting government coffers, national security and the public interest. 'There's an irony here that Musk's contracts could be under the same type of subjective political scrutiny that he and his DOGE team have put on thousands of other contracts,' said Scott Amey, a contracting expert and general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group based in Washington. 'Any decision shouldn't be based on the egos of two men but on the best interests of the public and national security.' Musk's SpaceX in recent years has become a crucial partner of the U.S. government in much of its aerospace and defense work – launching satellites and other space cargo and potentially managing a crucial element of the 'Golden Dome' missile shield planned by Trump. Although Musk in recent days has sought to walk back some of his critiques of the president – such as calling for Trump's impeachment last week and linking him to a convicted sex offender – his outbursts nonetheless highlighted the government's reliance on SpaceX. Before reversing course, Musk threatened to decommission the company's Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, as part of a roughly $5 billion contract with NASA, is the only U.S. vessel currently capable of carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX is also building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with the National Reconnaissance Office, a U.S. intelligence agency. The contract was a pivotal transaction for SpaceX, deepening its ties with U.S. defense and intelligence services.


Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Musk's role in building Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile shield in doubt
The White House has tamped down talk of punishing Elon Musk's billions of government contracts now that he and president Trump have tamped down their epic feud. But a pivotal role floated for his SpaceX company to build Trump's $175 billion Golden Dome could now be under threat. 'No efforts have been made on that front, as far as I'm aware,' is how White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded when asked whether the White House was looking at nixing Musk's contracts. That came after the president wrote publicly about terminating his 'governmental subsidies and contracts' and warned of 'serious consequences' if Musk decided to financially support Democrats while he was railing against Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' for after forecasts showed it would tack trillions onto the national debt. Now, the role for his company has come into question, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the project. It would be a major conceptual turnaround. abrupt turnaround from when Trump sat next to a graphic poster board showing a protective dome intended to shield the nation from incoming missiles. The White House had been pushing consideration of a plan where Musk's rocket and satellite company – which ferries astronauts and payloads to the International Space Station – would be a key partner in the project. Also involved would be Palantir and drone maker Anduril. And in an indication of how personalities and affiliations could be playing in the ambitious projects, a 'new framework' is now under consideration which would scrap the need for Musk's network of orbiting satellites. It would focus on 'existing ground systems for missile defense instead,' according to the report. It is unclear how this reworked system would counter the growing threat of hypersonic missiles, which can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound and change direction mid-flight. The Pentagon had been considering various plans, including some relying on multiple satellites and even space-based interceptors. A Defense official told Reuters that DOD 'has no announcements regarding future contracts associated with the Golden Dome effort.' The White House said said the administration is 'committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts. Trump announced his Golden Dome to much fanfare from the Oval Office. Republicans put a $25 billion line item for it in the House version of his 'big, beautiful' bill now making its way through the Senate.


The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Walmart and Amazon looking at creating their own cryptocoins as digital currencies popularity rises
Walmart and Amazon are looking to create stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, people familiar with the company's plans have said. Higher-ups at the company are hopeful the high volumes of cash and card transactions will save them billions in fees, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. The coins could limit the fees and immediately transfer money to retailers. Stablecoins are used to store cash or purchase other cryptocurrency tokens. The coins are backed by Treasuries and have a one-to-one exchange ratio with dollars or government currencies. Still, for the payment method to be implemented, lawmakers would need to pass the Genius Act, a piece of legislation that aims to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins. The legislation would need to be approved by both the House and Senate. One trade group has been lobbying members of Congress to push for the legislation's passage. The regulatory framework for stablecoin, the Merchants Payments Coalition, said in talks it would allow merchants to utilize alternative payment methods that could significantly lower expenses. The news sent Visa and Mastercard stocks down about six percent on Friday. Visa was the worst performer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 close to noon. Still, it's not clear if competition between the coin makers and banks would be beneficial. Walmart is lobbying to include an amendment that would introduce more competition in the credit-card sector. Airlines and other companies like Expedia Group are also working to implement the payment system, sources told the outlet. It's not clear how the country's biggest banks would respond to the move from the two largest retail vendors. Cryptocurrencies are becoming more popular, with approximately six percent of the population owning one type of digital coin. A person familiar with the ongoing Amazon discussions said the company's plans are in the early stages, but there are talks of potentially using outside stablecoins. In a note this week, TD Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg said the 'push to instant payments is inevitable and represents a risk' to Visa and Mastercard, according to the newspaper.