X Money nije još jedan digitalni novčanik. To je Elonov pokušaj da platformu X pretvori u mjesto gdje se živi cijeli dan: čitaš, šalješ poruke, gledaš sadržaj i plaćaš, štediš i primaš plaću, sve unutar iste aplikacije. Ideja nije nova. Musk je još 2023. govorio da želi da “ako uključuje novac, bude na našoj platformi” i da ljudi više ne trebaju bankovni račun. U ljeto 2026. to je napokon krenulo, barem za dio američkih Premium i Premium+ korisnika.
Što točno radi?
Unutar X-a otvaraš digitalni novčanik. Možeš držati novac, slati ga drugim korisnicima koji također imaju X Money, primati isplate, plaćati račune, slati wire transfere ili čak čekove poštom. Uz to dolazi metalna Visa debit kartica s tvojim X handleom na prednjoj strani. Nema naknada za podizanje na bankomatima, nema tečajnih razlika u inozemstvu, a na odabrane kupnje dobivaš 3 posto cashbacka. Najveća mamac je kamata: do 6 posto godišnje na depozite. Premium+ korisnici je dobivaju odmah, ostali Premium korisnici moraju ispuniti uvjete (direktne uplate ili određeni iznos). Depoziti stoje kod Cross River Banka i drugih FDIC osiguranih banaka, s pokrićem do 250.000 dolara standardno, a preko cash-sweep programa i do 10 milijuna za one na najvišoj pretplati.
X nije banka.
Nema vlastitu bankarsku povelju. Radi preko X Payments LLC-a, koji je prikupio dozvole za prijenos novca u većini američkih država, i preko partnera Cross River Banka. U New Yorku i Massachusettsu usluga još nije dostupna. Kriptovalute zasad nisu u igri, iako se govori o mogućim isplatama kreatorima u stablecoinima poput USDC-a.
Za običnog korisnika to znači praktičnost. Novac ostaje unutar platforme na kojoj već provodiš satima. Kreatori sadržaja više ne moraju čekati isplatu na vanjski račun – sredstva mogu odmah koristiti unutar X-a. Za one koji vole visoke kamate, 6 posto izgleda atraktivno u odnosu na standardne štedne račune. Ali postoji cijena: trebaš biti plaćeni pretplatnik, biti u SAD-u i prihvatiti da si novac dao platformi koja je još uvijek prije svega društvena mreža. Pitanje povjerenja nije zanemarivo. Senatorica Elizabeth Warren upozoravala je na rizike za potrošače, nacionalnu sigurnost i stabilnost financijskog sustava, pozivajući se i na prethodne probleme Cross Rivera s regulatorima. Ako nešto pođe po zlu – prevara, tehnički kvar, promjena politike – novac je unutra, a izlaz nije uvijek trenutačan.
Za banke je X Money još jedan pritisak.
Tradicionalne banke već godinama gube depozite prema online štednim računima i fintech aplikacijama. Sada dolazi platforma s stotinama milijuna korisnika koja nudi kamatu koju većina banaka ne može ili ne želi dati. Ako dovoljno ljudi stvarno prebaci štednju i svakodnevna plaćanja na X, banke gube jeftine depozite na kojima zarađuju. Cross River i slične “banking-as-a-service” institucije, s druge strane, zarađuju na tome što omogućuju tehnološkim tvrtkama da izgledaju kao banke. Za fintech igrače poput Venma, Cash Appa ili PayPala X Money je izravan konkurent u peer-to-peer plaćanjima, samo s dodatnom prednošću što korisnik već ima aplikaciju instaliranu i račun.
Na širu ekonomiju utjecaj ovisi o tome koliko će se usluga proširiti. Ako ostane ograničena na Premium pretplatnike u SAD-u, ostat će nišni proizvod. Ako se proširi na milijune korisnika i eventualno na druge zemlje, mijenja se način na koji novac cirkulira. Više transakcija ostaje unutar jedne zatvorene platforme. Brzina plaćanja raste, ali i koncentracija rizika. Ako X Money postane značajan kanal za isplate plaća ili štednju, svaka ozbiljnija smetnja na platformi može imati šire posljedice. Regulativa će morati pratiti. Trenutačno je X Money izvan nekih ključnih američkih država upravo zbog dozvola. U Europi, gdje već postoje instant plaćanja i stroži okvir, ulazak bi bio još sporiji i zahtjevniji.
U Hrvatskoj X Money zasad ne postoji.
Ovdje banke već nude instant plaćanja unutar SEPA sustava, a novac stiže na račun u sekundama. X bi morao proći hrvatski i europski regulatorni put, što nije trivijalno. Za sada ostaje američka priča s globalnim ambicijama.
Moj zaključak
Muskova logika je jasna: tko kontrolira novac unutar platforme, kontrolira i zadržavanje korisnika. Reklame i pretplate više nisu dovoljne. Ako uspije, X prestaje biti samo društvena mreža i postaje financijski ekosustav. Ako ne uspije, ostat će još jedan pokušaj da se društvena mreža pretvori u banku – s atraktivnim brojkama na papiru i stvarnim ograničenjima u praksi. Za sada je rano. Usluga je tek krenula, dostupnost je selektivna, a pravi test bit će kad se pojavi prvi veći problem s novcem.
Željko Serdar, Hrvatski Centar Obnovljivih Izvora Energije (HCOIE)
X Money is not just another digital wallet. Elon attempts to turn the X platform into a place where you live all day: you read, send messages, watch content, and pay, save, and get paid, all within the same app. The idea is not new. Musk said back in 2023 that he wanted “if it involves money, it’s on our platform” and that people no longer needed a bank account. In the summer of 2026, it finally started, at least for a portion of US Premium and Premium+ users. What exactly does it do? Inside X, you open a digital wallet. You can hold money, send it to other users who also have X Money, receive payouts, pay bills, send wire transfers, or even mail checks. It also comes with a metal Visa debit card with your X handle on the front. There are no ATM withdrawal fees, no foreign exchange differences, and you get 3 percent cashback on select purchases. The biggest lure is the interest: up to 6 percent per year on deposits. Premium+ users receive it immediately; other Premium users must meet the conditions (direct payments or a certain amount). Deposits are with Cross River Bank and other FDIC-insured banks, with coverage up to $250,000 as standard, and through the cash-sweep program up to $10 million for those with the highest subscription. X is not a bank. It does not have its own banking charter. It works through X Payments LLC, which has obtained money transfer licenses in most US states, and through partner Cross River Bank. The service is not yet available in New York and Massachusetts. Cryptocurrencies are not in play yet, although there is talk of possible payouts to creators in stablecoins like USDC. For the average user, this means convenience. The money stays within the platform where you already spend hours. Content creators no longer have to wait for payment to an external account - they can use the funds immediately within X. For those who like high interest rates, 6 percent looks attractive compared to standard savings accounts. But there’s a price: you have to be a paying subscriber, be in the US, and accept that you’ve given money to a platform that is still primarily a social network. The issue of trust is not trivial. Senator Elizabeth Warren has warned of the risks to consumers, national security, and the stability of the financial system, citing Cross River’s past problems with regulators. If something goes wrong—fraud, a technical glitch, a policy change—the money is in, and the way out isn’t always immediate. X Money is another pressure for banks. Traditional banks have been losing deposits to online savings accounts and fintech apps for years. Now comes a platform with hundreds of millions of users that offers interest rates that most banks can’t or won’t pay. If enough people actually switch their savings and daily payments to X, the banks lose the cheap deposits that they make money on. Cross River and similar “banking-as-a-service” institutions, on the other hand, make money by allowing tech companies to look like banks. For fintech players like Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal, X Money is a direct competitor in peer-to-peer payments, with the added advantage that the user already has the app installed and an account. The impact on the broader economy depends on how much the service expands. If it remains limited to Premium subscribers in the US, it will remain a niche product. If it expands to millions of users and possibly to other countries, it changes the way money circulates. More transactions remain within a single closed platform. The speed of payments increases, but so does the concentration of risk. If X Money becomes a significant channel for payroll or savings, any serious disruption to the platform could have wider consequences. Regulation will have to follow. Currently, X Money is outside some key US states precisely because of permits. In Europe, where instant payments and a stricter framework already exist, entry would be even slower and more demanding. X Money does not yet exist in Croatia. Here, banks already offer instant payments within the SEPA system, and money arrives in the account in seconds. X would have to go through the Croatian and European regulatory path, which is not trivial. For now, it remains an American story with global ambitions. My conclusion Musk's logic is clear: whoever controls the money within the platform also controls user retention. Advertising and subscriptions are no longer enough. If it succeeds, X will cease to be just a social network and become a financial ecosystem. If it fails, it will remain another attempt to turn a social network into a bank – with attractive numbers on paper and real limitations in practice. It's too early for now. The service has just started, availability is selective, and the real test will be when the first major problem with money arises. Zeljko Serdar, Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)
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