A Brief Look at Stablecoins
We focus primarily on digital securities, here at Securities.io. However, there is another notable trend in the world of blockchain, which is often intertwined with this new asset class. This would be the rapidly growing world of ‘stablecoins’.
These stablecoins have inherent qualities that appeal to participants involved with digital securities. This makes them attractive to both issuers, and investors alike.
The Allure
So what exactly is it about stablecoins that makes them attractive to investors? The reasons vary in every case, but the following traits are the most obvious benefits these tokens afford.
- Transparency
- As these assets are blockchain based, anyone can view transactional history, since this data is stored on public ledgers. These inside looks can be obtained through use of various ‘block explorers’.
- Efficiency
- While FIAT transfers are at the mercy of banks, and often take a lengthy amount of time to be approved, stablecoins benefit from a lack of middle-men. Large and small denominations alike are able to be transferred directly between two parties. There are no holding periods.
- Affordability
- Building on the point made above, the lack of middle-men in a transaction is a good thing. This is one less mouth that needs to be fed. The result of this is lower transaction fees, as there is no need to pay a cut to a bank.
- Volatility
- This is undoubtedly the largest draw for many towards stablecoins. The entire foundation of the idea they are built upon, is to provide their holder with financial stability. This is afforded to the hold by ‘pegging’ the stablecoin to a traditionally non-volatile asset. This most often means national currencies, such as USD, CAD, FRANC, EUR, etc. Although, there are various instances of stablecoins being pegged to commodities such as maple syrup, gold, and more.
These qualities also just happen to appeal to those involved in digital securities, leading investors to see the appeal of both. Digital securities are a means of taking part in the world of blockchain, while ensuring compliance with regulations. The results are investment opportunities that are more predictable, and backed by real world assets- both traits offered by stablecoins.
Flexible Pegging
While the points noted above may sound fantastic when applied to a financial asset, they are not givens. These point are strived for, but not always attained. For example, it was recently verified that industry leading stablecoin, ‘Tether’, does not maintain 1:1 reserves of USD in their accounts.
While this has long been suspected by many involved in the world of cryptocurrencies, it has only now been verified in an affidavit signed by a lawyer working with Tether. The following is a brief excerpt from this recent statement.
“Tether has cash and cash equivalents (short term securities) on hand totaling approximately $2.1 billion, representing approximately 74 percent of the current outstanding tethers.”
The Story Thus Far
To elaborate on the sticky situation in which Tether finds themselves, the New York General Attorney recently issued a statement condemning the company’s practices. In these statements, it was said that Tether reserves were used by sister company, BitFinex, to cover losses of investor funds – coming in to the tune of roughly $900 million. It is believed that, not only did these actions take place, but they were intentionally hid from the public.
In the days following these statements, BitFinex has denied any wrong-doing, and indicates that they have not lost any funds. They were, rather, locked-up by their payment processer, Panama based, Crypto Capital, due to an inability to prove ownership.
The point in raising awareness to this story, is that the status as the ‘go-to’ stable coin, held by Tether, is tenuous at best. Now is the time for any contenders to step up and usurp Tether in their bid for dominance; a dominance that may be achieved by cozying up with the world of digital securities.
The situation continues to unfold as the investigation continues.
Coincidence?
Some have noted that there is a common denominator seen in, both the unfolding Tether situation, and that of embattled Canadian exchange, QuadrigaCX; this would be payment processer Crypto Capital.
Much of the woes experienced by both Tether and QuadrigaCX stem from each having significant sums of money ‘locked-up’. In time, investigators hope to shed more light on how each of these companies found themselves in their respective situations, and whether Crypto Capital has played a role in the demise of each.
Viable alternatives
Despite the recent woes of industry leading, Tether, stablecoins appear to have as bright a future as ever. Various companies have, both, recognized this, and contributed towards it being true. While options are plentiful, a few offerings stand out from the pack as viable replacements for Tether.
TrueUSD (TUSD) | TrueGBP (TGBP) | TrueAUD (TAUD) | TrueCAD (TCAD)
Each of these four stablecoins are products of mother company, TrustToken. All of these tokens are backed 1:1 by each’s respective FIAT currency. TrueUSD, in particular, has seen high levels of adoption, and can actively be traded on a variety exchanges, such as Bittrex, Binance, UpBit, and more.
TrustToken is a promising company which specializes in the tokenization of real-world assets. While TrustToken can be used to tokenize assets such as real-estate, art, and more, it is their implementation, with regards to stablecoins pegged to various FIAT currencies, which has caught the attention of many.
TrueUSD saw its exclusive use in a recent STO, hosted by Blockport.
Gemini Dollar (GUSD)
A product of Gemini exchange, Gemini Dollar (GUSD), is another token backed on a 1:1 ratio by USD. The purpose of this stablecoin is to provide investors with an asset that behaves in a predictable manner like USD, but benefits form the inherent qualities of blockchain. This stablecoin is based on the ERC-20 standard, meaning that it functions on the Ethereum blockchain.
This particular stablecoin touts itself as the first of its kind to be regulated. This regulation comes in the form of monthly audits by accounting firms, custody provided by State Street Bank and Trust Company, and through licensing granted to Gemini by the State of New York.
Adoption, thus far, has resulted in GUSD being traded on a variety of exchanges, in addition to establishing partnerships with tokenizing platforms such as Harbor.
USD Coin (USDC)
Circle is a United States based company which has made headlines over the past two years through their purchase of Poloniex, and public statements indicating an eventual foray into digital securities. Along the way, Circle has noted both digital securities and stablecoins as growing trends, and sought to take part. This resulted in the creation of USD Coin (USDC).
As its name implies, this Ethereum based asset is pegged to the US dollar at a 1:1 ratio. The goal is to provide its holders with a means for maintaining consistent buying power, in an industry known for its volatility.
Recent adoption has seen Securitize announce their support of USDC through their industry leading tokenization services.
It is important to remember that these are only three of the most viable alternatives to Tether. More offerings are popping up every day, and none have attained #1 status, or any semblance of dominance. As the situation with Tether unfolds, watch closely as the markets react and begin turning to rival stablecoins.
With development of digital securities booming, and a sky-high ceiling for the sector, perhaps the best indicator of which stablecoin stands to inherit Tether’s crown, is the one which sees the most adoption in the burgeoning sector.
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