Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, has recently obtained approval for money transmitter licenses in seven US states, including the latest addition of Rhode Island. Beyond paving the way for crypto transactions, these licenses allow the platform to join the ranks of major payment providers like PayPal and Venmo. Musk’s ambitions for X seem to extend far beyond social media, as he aims to transform it into an all-in-one application capable of handling a multitude of services, including national-scale payment processing.
The money transmitter license in Rhode Island doesn’t only cover crypto; it also encompasses traditional and electronic payments, similar to the services provided by Western Union and PayPal. According to the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR), these licenses are crucial for businesses dealing with wire transfers, electronic transfers, and even crypto custody. Given Musk’s previous hints at integrating crypto into X – notably by briefly changing Twitter’s logo to that of the Dogecoin dog – these licenses appear to be a strategic step towards offering a wide range of payment services. Licenses from other states like Arizona, Maryland, and New Hampshire underscore the same intention.
The licenses indicate a roadmap that could potentially reshape how we perceive social media platforms. Musk, who also co-founded PayPal, has stated his plans for X to evolve into a multi-service hub. He even communicated this vision a few days before making a $43 billion bid to acquire Twitter in April 2022. With other major players like Western Union and PayPal holding similar licenses, X is squarely positioning itself to offer competitive, if not disruptive, services in the payments sector.
While the obtained licenses are not exclusive to crypto transactions, they allow X to offer crypto services. Coupled with Musk’s favorable stance on crypto, this sets the stage for X to become an influential player in the rapidly evolving landscape of crypto payments.
