X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is preparing to allow users to trade stocks and cryptocurrencies directly within the app, according to the company’s head of product, Nikita Bier. The move signals a significant expansion into financial services for the platform, formerly known as Twitter.
Bier described the forthcoming features as “Smart Cashtags,” enabling users to interact with stock ticker symbols and cryptocurrency notations within posts and then execute trades directly from the X interface. The announcement coincides with the impending external beta launch of X Money, the company’s in-house payments system. Musk stated that X Money is currently undergoing internal testing and will be rolled out to a limited user group within one to two months.
The ambition, according to Musk, is to transform X into an “everything app,” a single platform where users can communicate, share content, send money and invest. He has likened the integration of financial tools like X Money to incorporating banking services directly into the app, potentially allowing users to manage a substantial portion of their digital lives without leaving the platform.
Nikita Bier’s appointment as head of product in July 2025 was itself notable. Bier, known for creating viral apps like TBH and Gas – both later acquired by larger tech companies – has a track record of building applications that resonate with younger demographics and achieving rapid growth. His arrival at X was marked by a post on the platform, where he declared he had “officially posted my way to the top,” alongside a photo with Musk.
Musk’s companies have a history of involvement with cryptocurrencies. Tesla currently holds approximately 11,509 Bitcoin, a reduction from an initial investment of 42,300 Bitcoin made in early 2021. SpaceX also maintains a Bitcoin portfolio of around 8,285 BTC. Musk has also publicly supported Dogecoin, accepting it as payment for some Tesla merchandise in 2022 and suggesting further integration of the meme-inspired cryptocurrency in the future.
Despite the ambitious plans, X operates with a remarkably small core team. Bier recently revealed in a post on X that the company functions with a core staff of just 30 employees, supplemented by engineers from xAI. This staffing level contrasts sharply with the hundreds of thousands of employees at comparable social media companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google.
Bier acknowledged the limited capacity when explaining why X removed a “dim mode” feature, stating the team lacked the bandwidth to maintain multiple color themes. The company has not yet announced a specific timeline for the full rollout of stock and cryptocurrency trading features, nor detailed the regulatory approvals required to offer such services.