Apple, Google Hire for Stablecoin Roles as They Explore New Payments and Finance Businesses

Apple and Google are seeking candidates with expertise in stablecoins and tokenized deposits for finance and payments roles, a sign the companies are evaluating financial infrastructure and new business opportunities tied to digital assets.

Digital Asset reported on September 20, after reviewing the companies’ job postings, that Apple and Google are recruiting candidates with knowledge of or hands-on experience in stablecoins and blockchain in the US and Hong Kong, respectively.

Apple posted a US job opening on August 26 for an Apple Pay Financial Product Strategy Lead. The role is responsible for shaping the mid- to long-term strategy for the company’s financial services, including Apple Card and Apple Cash, and for identifying new business opportunities.

Apple listed knowledge of stablecoins, tokenized deposits and blockchain technology among its preferred qualifications. The successful candidate will work with the Apple Card and Apple Cash product teams to evaluate new growth areas and help drive related business strategy. The group oversees Apple Pay-linked financial services ranging from consumer credit cards to peer-to-peer transfers and prepaid balance services.

Google’s hiring is more focused on digital-asset infrastructure for institutions. Its Hong Kong-based Industry Principal Architect, Web3 role supports Google Cloud’s Web3 and digital-asset business across the Asia-Pacific region.

Google listed knowledge of real-world asset tokenization, stablecoin payment networks, tokenized deposits and digital-asset custody as preferred qualifications. It also called for experience with institutional digital-asset systems, including multi-party computation, hardware security modules and transaction-signing architecture.

The role’s target clients include blockchain protocol foundations, institutional exchanges, digital-asset custodians and financial firms pursuing real-world asset tokenization. It also involves helping design security and compliance frameworks aligned with local regulations, including those of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Securities and Futures Commission.

The two companies appear to be looking at different stablecoin business areas. Apple seems to be considering how the technology could be applied to consumer financial services such as Apple Pay, Apple Card and Apple Cash. Google, by contrast, is putting more emphasis on cloud and infrastructure services for financial institutions and digital-asset companies.

Samsung Electronics’ US unit had earlier recruited a business development manager for Samsung Wallet payments and listed stablecoins, alongside card issuers and fintech companies, as a payments partnership area. Following Samsung, Apple and Google are also showing at the hiring stage that they may be weighing links between stablecoins and their existing payments businesses.

Still, the job postings alone do not show that Apple or Google is preparing to issue its own stablecoin or launch a specific service. For now, both companies appear to be assessing where stablecoins and tokenized deposits could be used in future finance and payments businesses while building out related expertise.