Traders find it useful to hold USDC as a stable asset that avoids market volatility. Instead, it’s available as Solana SPL, ERC-20, and Algorand ASA tokens. USDT was initially developed to use the Bitcoin blockchain (Omni and Liquid Protocol) as its transport protocol, allowing transactions of tokenized fiat currencies. However, Tether tokens currently use multiple protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, Bitcoin Cash, EOS, Tron, and OMG.
Fiat-backed stablecoins are described as an IOU — you use your dollars (or other fiat currency) to buy stablecoins that you can redeem later for your original currency. Unlike other cryptos, with value that can fluctuate wildly, fiat-backed stablecoins aim to have very small price fluctuations. But that’s not to say stablecoins are a totally safe bet — they are still relatively new with a limited track record and unknown risks, and should be invested in with caution. The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase offers a fiat-backed stablecoin called USD coin, which can be exchanged on a 1-to-1 ratio for one U.S. dollar.
What makes stablecoins different?
However, CBN barred cash withdrawals and issued other guidelines on cryptocurrency accounts. Recall that the apex bank lifted the ban on cryptocurrency transactions in Nigeria in December last year. For another, Phillips filed an amicus brief on behalf of the SEC in its ongoing lawsuit against Coinbase, so he already has a clear point of view. As the company has made clear in its legal battle against Gary Gensler, it wants an update to U.S. financial regulatory policy—which could include a refresh of the Howey test.
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History of stablecoins
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Instead of using reserve systems or backed assets, algorithmic stablecoins use a fully algorithmic approach to adjust their supply in response to price fluctuations. However, due to their uncollateralised nature and reliance on algorithms to maintain the peg of an asset, they are broadly considered inherently more vulnerable to the risk of depegging. Serving the purpose of what is a stablecoin maintaining value and purchasing power, pegging against an asset can make stablecoins more resilient to market fluctuations in the cryptocurrency space. For instance, one of the most popular stablecoins — Tether (USDT) — is commonly equal to US$1. The main benefit of a stablecoin is to provide price stability in the crypto market since its value always remains constant.
USD Coin
The value of most cryptocurrencies is largely determined by what the market will bear, and many people who buy them are doing so in hopes that they will increase in value. If you spend a stablecoin that’s linked to the value of a dollar, you’re less likely to look at cryptocurrency prices the next week and see that you’re missing out on a big gain (or huge loss). Stablecoins can be used by traders and investors to hedge their portfolios.
Doug is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst who spent more than 20 years as a derivatives market maker and asset manager before “reincarnating” as a financial media professional a decade ago. Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk. A stablecoin typically goes through a few stages before someone can use it. Cryptocurrencies are currently going through an accelerated period of growth. Research from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance suggests that the number of global crypto users has increased from 35 million in 2018 to 101 million in 2020.
While this happens, stablecoins are doing a very good job of bridging the gap between fiat and crypto. CBDCs are not cryptocurrencies, nor are they Stablecoins – but they include elements of both. They are “stable”, since a CBDC is nothing more than a reengineered form of a national currency that incorporates some of the features that make cryptocurrencies so powerful. The first and most prominent example of a crypto collateral-based stablecoin is DAI, the brainchild of crypto non-profit MakerDAO.
Instead, these stablecoins achieve their price stability by using algorithms to control the supply and circulation of their tokens on the marketplace. These stablecoins will issue new tokens when the price of stablecoins goes above the target price or above the fiat currency it is tracking. Conversely, these stablecoins will stop issuing tokens if the price goes below the target, which will raise the price by limiting supply. And yet, while it may have been evident before, there is now a clear judicial decision that explains when the SEC could target stablecoins. USDC, still the second-largest stablecoin by market cap despite its ruinous 2023, is a separate matter. This is another area where stablecoins are uniquely positioned to do well in 2024.
Stablecoins bring more liquidity and volume to the crypto market
Fiat-collateralized stablecoins are usually more centralized than other cryptocurrencies. A central entity holds the collateral and may also be subject to external financial regulation. You also need to trust that the issuer has the reserves they claim https://www.tokenexus.com/ to have. Yet because they hew to the value of a single fiat currency, they act as a sort of temporary refuge for investors looking to secure their funds during a bear market. In this way, stablecoins are like blockchain-enabled versions of the dollar.
- After the volatility that many cryptoassets have experienced during the last several years, the appeal and interest for lower volatility cryptoassets continues to increase.
- You can also sell crypto for stablecoins during a market downturn and repurchase them at a lower price (i.e., shorting).
- Unlike other types of cryptocurrencies — which can be volatile — the price of stablecoins usually doesn’t change over time.
- Our estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
- The net result from this uncertainty would be reduced economic activity.
- That said, the forecast does look positive for stablecoins; let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why.
- They also provide immense liquidity to DeFi projects, and they bridge the gap between fiat and crypto as they are backed by real assets with real value.