MoonPay and M0 launched PYUSDx on Friday - a framework that lets developers issue custom, application-specific stablecoins backed by PayPal's PYUSD - entering a competitive programmable dollar infrastructure market alongside Stripe, Circle (USDC), and other infrastructure providers.
The first developer building on the platform is USD.ai, which is using the framework to back a stablecoin designed for AI infrastructure applications.
PYUSDx is operated by MoonPay Digital Assets Limited and functions as a separate tokenization layer.
Tokens created through it are not PYUSD, are not issued by Paxos Trust Company, and cannot be used within PayPal or Venmo accounts - a structural distinction the companies disclosed prominently in their release.
PYUSD itself carries a market cap of approximately $4.2 billion, according to CoinGecko, compared to $75.3 billion for USDC and roughly $183 billion for USDT.
How the Framework Works
PYUSDx combines M0's digital token protocol - which separates reserve management from token issuance - with MoonPay's distribution infrastructure. Developers can theoretically launch branded stablecoins without assembling their own compliance, custody, or cross-chain stack.
MoonPay Digital Assets recently received a New York trust charter qualifying it to act as issuer.
On-chain reserve reporting and cross-chain compatibility are included in the framework.
The announcement cites an 89% increase in newly issued stablecoins with supply above $10 million in 2025, sourced from Artemis and The Defiant, as evidence of growing application-layer demand.
What It Means for Each Party
For MoonPay, the release follows the launch of MoonPay Agents earlier this week - a non-custodial layer for AI systems to create wallets and transact autonomously.
Together, the two products suggest the company is building out infrastructure for AI-driven finance and embedded payments rather than just serving as a fiat onramp.
For PayPal, PYUSDx offers a route to extend PYUSD's footprint into developer ecosystems without integrating third-party tokens into its consumer products. Given the gap between PYUSD's $4.2 billion circulation and the dominant stablecoin issuers, the approach effectively offloads growth to external builders rather than attempting direct market share competition.
Whether those builders generate meaningful demand on PYUSD reserves - or whether the framework stays narrow in practice - will determine the strategy's commercial value.
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