Terms

What Are Stablecoins And Why Do You Need Them?

bePAY

10 March 2022

Stablecoins have developed into a critical component of a growing class of products called as DeFi, in which payments may be conducted without the intervention of a third party like a bank or broker. But what are stablecoins? 

In Cryptocurrency, volatility is a familiar matter. This implies that coin values might fluctuate dramatically, making it difficult for investors to hone in on a single coin. Stablecoin, on the other hand, resolves this problem. Stablecoins are digital currencies backed by fiat money, other cryptocurrencies, or commodity.

These currencies are less susceptible to price fluctuations because of their strong assets. Additionally, some stablecoins depend on a computer algorithm to keep their value reasonably stable. Find all with bePAY through this post.

What Are Stablecoins?

Stablecoin Definition

Stablecoins are a subset of cryptocurrencies that aim to provide price stability by being backed by some kind of reserve asset. Stablecoins have gained interest since they try to give the best of both worlds—the rapid execution and safety or privacy of transactions of cryptocurrencies, as well as the volatility-free steady prices of fiat currencies.

Some elements you should take into consideration about stablecoin definition

  • Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that seek to tie their valuation to some external reference.
  • Stablecoins may be linked to a currency such as the U.S. dollar or to a commodity’s price including gold.
  • Stablecoins attain their stable prices by collateral security (backing) or via algorithmic procedures of purchasing and selling the reference asset and its derivatives.

stablecoin-definition

What are stablecoins?

>> Learn more: DeFi lending and borrowing protocol

What Is The Purpose Of Stablecoins?

What Is The Purpose Of Stablecoins?- to explain it in the most simple way, Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to a more stable asset, generally a fiat currency, in an attempt to combat price volatility. Fiat is the government-issued money we’re all accustomed to utilizing on a daily basis, such as USD or Euro

Typically, the organization behind a stablecoin would set a “reserve” where it safely maintains the assets or basket of assets supporting the stablecoin – for instance, $1 million in an old bank to back up one million units of a stablecoin.

This seems to be one method digital stablecoins are tied to real-world assets. Every time a stablecoin holder wants to withdraw their tokens, an identical quantity of the reserve’s underlying asset is deducted as security for the stablecoin.

There is a much more advanced sort of stablecoin that is collateralized by the other cryptocurrencies instead of fiat but still is structured to match a mainstream asset like the dollar.

the-purpose-of-stablecoins

The purpose of stablecoins

Maker, possibly the most prominent stablecoin issuer that employs this approach, does this via a service called “Vault” which locks up a user’s crypto collateral. Next, after the smart contract understands the collateral is protected, a user may utilize it to borrow newly produced dai, the stablecoin.

Like a third alternative, algorithmic stablecoins don’t need collateral at all, instead of creating or burning coins to maintain the coin’s value in line with a predetermined target price range. Let’s assume the stablecoin declines from the goal cost of $1 to $0.75. The system will automatically destroy a tranche of coins to provide additional scarcity, driving up the prices of the stablecoin. This sort of stablecoin protocol is tough to get correctly and has been attempted and has failed multiple times during previous years. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, persist in their efforts.

Above are the answer to what are stablecoins and what is the purpose of stablecoins. Now let’s dive into the types of Stablecoins

How Many Types Of Stablecoin?

Fiat Collateralized Stablecoin

A fiat collateralized stablecoin is one that is backed by a fiat currency, such as the US dollar or euro. That is, it retains an equal quantity of that money to the number of circulating stablecoins. The most liquid collateralized fiat stablecoin is Tether (USDT-USD), which is tied to the US dollar and has the highest trading volume of all stablecoin offerings.

Stablecoin Collateralized By Cryptocurrency 

Stablecoins collateralized by cryptocurrencies are stablecoins backed by one or many cryptocurrencies. This implies that the stablecoin issuer owns an equal number of other digital currencies as stablecoins. Dai is an example of a collateralized cryptocurrency stablecoin (DAI-USD).    

how-many-types-of-stablecoins

Types of stablecoin               

Stablecoin Collateralized By Commodity

A collateralized commodity stablecoin is one that is backed by a commodity reserve such as gold, property, oil, or precious metals. This implies that the issuer will also have an equal number of actual assets in circulation as money. Paxos Gold is an example of a collateralized commodities stablecoin (PAXG-USD). When a Paxos Gold stablecoin is sold, the seller has the option of receiving cash or the gold underlying the investment.

Algorithmic

A refers to those that are not backed by fiat, commodity, or cryptocurrency collateral but remain fixed to their respective values. Rather than that, they employ algorithms and smart contracts to maintain price stability by decreasing the number of coins circulating whenever the market price falls and boosting it when the market price rises.

If indeed the price of the underlying commodity or currency changes, the algorithm adjusts the number of stablecoins in circulation to guarantee the price stays tied to the underlying currency or commodity. TerraUSD (UST-USD) is a stablecoin that was created using an algorithm.

Keep reading to explore What Are The Best Stablecoins?

What Are The Best Stablecoins?

Here is the list of stablecoins that are top stablecoins

Tether (USDT)

Tether’s supply is solely limited by declared dollar reserves since one Tether has always been worth one US Dollar.

As the biggest stablecoin, Tether has been under pressure to provide frequent updates on its reserves in order to demonstrate its ability to maintain its peg to the dollar. According to the most current statistics, just approximately 10% is retained in cash or deposits. Nearly half of Tether’s reserves were in the form of ‘commercial paper’ — short-term debt issued by businesses to obtain capital — which may seem hazardous, but the rating is believed to be quite secure and categorized as a ‘cash equivalent’.

USD Coin (USDC) 

The quantity of USDC is constrained by the currency’s dollar reserves. Adding to the sense of crypto, Coinbase, the exchange’s founding member, promises to be compliant with regulatory requirements. The USD Coin is accepted by the majority of significant exchanges and is gaining traction in DeFi, decentralized applications (DApps), and gaming.

what-are-the-best-stablecoins

USD coin – Top stablecoins

Binance USD (BUSD)

BUSD was introduced in 2019, with supply capped by monthly audited dollar reserves. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is a well-known name in the industry. This implies that consumers converting fiat/crypto to BUSD may take advantage of no-fee exchange services in addition to earning additional revenue through DeFi services.

Dai (DAI)

The supply of the Dai token is limited by the collateral held in its vaults. However, the collateral is not in US dollars but in other cryptocurrencies, resulting in an early 2019 balancing act. It is capable of being used for commerce but is more widespread on DeFi protocol services.

DAI debuted in 2017 and has now expanded to include financial services. DAI is governed autonomously by the MakerDAO, with Dai token issuance decentralized – any user may mint DAI tokens by depositing their Ether tokens as collateral.

TerraUSD (UST)

TerraUSD was released in 2020, with an intriguing mechanism for maintaining its peg of one UST to one dollar. Its supply will be adjusted algorithmically in response to the price and supply of Terra’s native LUNA token, in order to maintain its value.

While it may be used for transactions and commerce, it is most known for DeFi-enabled DApps and the Anchor Protocol, which allows for passive reward/yield earning on deposits.

After having a look at the list of stablecoins that are top stablecoins valuable, are ready to get into the deep FAQs about stablecoins yet?

>> Learn more: What is QuickSwap? The main functions of QuickSwap

Some FAQs About Stablecoins

Is Bitcoin A Stablecoin?

Is Bitcoin a stablecoin?- This question is quite simple – NO, Bitcoin is a kind of cryptocurrency and is not a stablecoin. And is the very first coin in the world, it has an unstable price and a max supply of 21 million units. 

Is Ethereum A Stablecoin?

You are still curious whether Is Ethereum a stablecoin? – the answer is NO either. Like Bitcoin, Ethereum is a kind of cryptocurrency and is not a stablecoin, its market price fluctuates according to supply and demand.

Can You Make Money On Stablecoins?

The same is true for stablecoins as it is for other types of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ether, Binance Coin, and others. This does not, however, rule out the possibility of making money using them.

some-faqs-about-top-stablecoins

Can you make money on stablecoins?

Why Do Crypto Traders And Investors Need Stablecoins?

Stablecoins were fantastic for trading since, unlike stock markets, crypto trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Immediately, investors could ‘cash out’ and go to bed without worrying about their crypto investments. Stablecoins have made it simple to move money across crypto exchanges and circumvent the time-consuming procedures associated with traditional banking.

Stablecoins also enabled investors to hold a part of their crypto portfolio like cash, enabling them can purchase any currency they desired without depending on their bank’s systems, which were notorious to fall down for ‘maintenance.

Final Thoughts

Here are what you need, at the moment you are equipped yourself with new information about what are stablecoins? And why is it important? As well as the list of top stablecoins.

Finally, stablecoins are a valuable payment system that enables consumers to enjoy the advantages of cryptocurrencies while maintaining substantially more price stability. They benefit both investors transitioning in and out of bitcoin investments and consumers seeking an instant and secure method of payment.