Stablecoins
225 coins #12 Page 3| | Coins | | | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | |||||
| | 101 | | $ | +11.82% | |
| | 102 | | $ | -1.23% | |
| | 103 | | $ | -0.13% | |
| | 104 | | $ | +0.00% | |
| | 105 | | $ | +0.38% | |
| | 106 | | $ | +0.00% | |
| | 107 | | $ | -2.98% | |
| | 108 | | $ | -0.02% | |
| | 109 | | $ | +0.14% | |
| | 110 | | $ | +10.51% | |
| | 111 | | $ | +0.08% | |
| | 112 | | $ | -0.02% | |
| | 113 | | $ | -0.01% | |
| | 114 | | $ | -0.21% | |
| | 115 | | $ | +0.02% | |
| | 116 | | $ | -2.77% | |
| | 117 | | $ | +0.21% | |
| | 118 | | $ | +0.00% | |
| | 119 | | $ | -12.26% | |
| | 120 | | $ | -4.58% | |
| | 121 | | $ | -0.19% | |
| | 122 | | $ | +5.50% | |
| | 123 | | $ | +0.06% | |
| | 124 | | $ | +0.11% | |
| | 125 | | $ | +0.00% | |
| | 126 | | $ | +0.91% | |
| | 127 | | $ | --% | |
| | 128 | | $ | --% | |
| | 129 | | $ | --% | |
| | 130 | | $ | --% | |
| | 131 | | $ | --% | |
| | 132 | | $ | --% | |
| | 133 | | $ | --% | |
| | 134 | | $ | --% | |
| | 135 | | $ | --% | |
| | 136 | | $ | --% | |
| | 137 | | $ | --% | |
| | 138 | | $ | --% | |
| | 139 | | $ | --% | |
| | 140 | | $ | --% | |
| | 141 | | $ | --% | |
| | 142 | | $ | --% | |
| | 143 | | $ | --% | |
| | 144 | | $ | --% | |
| | 145 | | $ | --% | |
| | 146 | | $ | --% | |
| | 147 | | $ | --% | |
| | 148 | | $ | --% | |
| | 149 | | $ | --% | |
| | 150 | | $ | --% | |
Trending Stablecoins
| Coins | Price | 24h | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | $ | +0.59% |
| | | $ | -0.01% |
| | | $ | -0.01% |
| | | $ | -0.03% |
| | | $ | +0.05% |
Top gainers
| Coins | | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | $ | +0.59% | ||
| | | $ | +0.46% | ||
| | | $ | +0.10% | ||
| | | $ | +0.10% | ||
| | | $ | +0.08% | ||
| All gainers | |||||
What is a stablecoin?
A stablecoin is a blockchain token engineered to hold a steady price by anchoring its value to an off-chain asset—typically the US dollar, euro, gold, or a basket of commodities.
Instead of 50 % daily swings like BTC, stablecoins aim for ±1 % variance, making them the settlement layer of crypto trading, remittances, and on-chain lending.
Combined market-cap exceeds $160 B; on some days USDT + USDC settle more dollar value than Visa.
Quick Facts
- Purpose: Dollar (or gold) proxy inside smart-contract ecosystems; escape volatility without off-ramping to banks.
- Peg mechanisms: Fiat reserves, over-collateralised crypto, algorithms, or hybrid.
- Blockchains: 80 % issued on Ethereum; also Tron, BSC, Solana, Avalanche, Stellar.
- Velocity: USDT averages >$40 B daily transfer value—double Bitcoin’s on-chain volume.
- Regulatory lens: Payment stablecoins face MiCA in EU and draft US bills requiring 1:1 cash or Treasury backing.
Top Stablecoins (Live Examples)
| Token | Ticker | Backing Type | 2024 Circulating | Auditors / Attestations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tether | USDT | Fiat (USD) | 110 B | BDO (quarterly) |
| USD Coin | USDC | Fiat (USD) | 32 B | Grant Thornton (monthly) |
| Binance USD | BUSD | Fiat (USD)* | 0.1 B | Paxos (halted new mints) |
| True USD | TUSD | Fiat (USD) | 0.5 B | Moore HK (real-time dashboard) |
| DAI | DAI | Crypto (150 % ETH/BTC) | 5.3 B | Maker surplus buffer >$100 M |
| Frax | FRAX | Partial algo (95 % USD + 5 % FXS) | 1.1 B | DefiSafety score 93 % |
| Origin Dollar | OUSD | Basket (USDT, USDC, DAI) | 60 M | OpenZeppelin audits |
How It Works
- User wires $1 M to issuer’s bank → issuer mints 1 M stablecoins on-chain.
- Token trades 1:1 on exchanges; arbitrage bots keep parity.
- Redemption portal – send 1 M tokens back → receive $1 M wire (Tether, Circle) or collateral auction (Maker).
- Reserve proof – monthly attestations or real-time dashboards show 1:1 backing.
- Smart-contract layer – DAI/FRAX mint only when users lock >$1.50 of crypto for each $1 stable.
Benefits
- Volatility shelter – park profits during crypto drawdowns without off-ramping to banks.
- 24/7 settlement – remit USD across borders in minutes for < $1 fee.
- DeFi collateral – 80 % of on-chain loans use stablecoins as margin.
- High yield – lend on Aave/Compound for 2-8 % APR vs 0.5 % bank savings.
- FX access – Argentinians, Turks, Nigerians hold USD-stablecoins to escape local inflation.
Risks & Trade-offs
- Custodial risk – bank freeze or issuer bankruptcy can break 1:1 peg (see BUSD shutdown).
- Transparency gaps – Tether paid $41 M fine for reserve misstatements; off-shore banks add counter-party risk.
- Regulatory crackdowns – EU MiCA bans interest-bearing stablecoins unless licensed as e-money.
- Algorithmic death-spiral – UST lost $40 B in 3 days when LUNA backing collapsed.
- Smart-contract bugs – DAI survived Black Thursday liquidations only via emergency MKR mint.
- Sanctions exposure – Circle froze 75 K USDC addresses linked to Tornado Cash.
Final Thoughts
Stablecoins are the bridge between volatile crypto and the stable dollar economy—letting traders hedge, workers remit, and DeFi users collateralise without touching a bank.
The trade-off is trust: fiat-backed coins rely on auditors and banks, while crypto-backed ones rely on over-collateralisation and smart-contract correctness.
Treat them like digital dollars, but keep an eye on reserve attestations, regulatory headlines, and black-list policies before parking life-savings.