Profits are redistributed to the community by rewarding token holders with yields.
Stablecoin USDC Is Making a Comeback: Coinbase
Total market cap of the dollar-linked coin has increased faster than larger rival USDT’s in recent months.
South Africa to Start Work on Stablecoin Regime, Will Start by Considering Use Cases
The Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group is also considering the impact of tokenization on domestic markets.
Hong Kong Doubles Down on Stablecoin, OTC Rules Promise
Public consultations on stablecoins and over-the-counter trading are already in progress.
UK Minister Expects Stablecoin and Staking Legislation Within Six Months: Bloomberg
UK Economic Secretary to the Treasury Bim Afolami has said the UK government was “pushing very hard” to bring legislation for stablecoins and staking services for crypto assets within six months, according to a Bloomberg report.
U.S. Regulators Do Have Some Control Over Stablecoin Tether: JPMorgan
USDT’s appeal relative to other stablecoins will likely diminish as regulations will require more transparency and compliance with new anti-money laundering standards, the report said.
U.S. Federal Reserve Gov. Waller Says DeFi Could Boost Dollar’s Global Strength
Crypto critics often warn of digital currencies’ potential to destabilize the U.S. dollar, but Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller argued that stablecoins’ dependence on the dollar could actually strengthen the U.S. fiat currency as decentralized finance (DeFi) catches on.
New Zealand Central Banker Adrian Orr Says Stablecoins Aren’t Stable: Report
The country’s Central Banker says fiat money is more credible than stablecoins because it has the power of government behind it.
UK’s Planned Stablecoin Rules Need Reworking, Crypto Advocates Say
Crypto industry groups in the U.K. say local regulators’ proposals for supervising stablecoins need reworking.
Diversifying Stability: Stablecoins Finding Home Beyond the Greenback
Following the success of Tether and USDC, a generation of stablecoins are offering new features for investors and holders, says Scott Sunshine, Managing Partner of Blue Dot Advisors.
The Big Misunderstanding: What MiCA Really Means for Stablecoins in Europe
The EU’s comprehensive crypto guidance does not introduce entirely new regulations for fiat backed stablecoins, former central banker Jón Egilsson writes. Instead it affirms existing rules that many current issuers are not yet following.
Treasury Secretary Yellen Says U.S. Needs Better Stablecoin Regulation
“A federal regulator should have the ability to decide if a stablecoin issuer should be barred from issuing such an asset,” she told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Warns of Crypto Risks
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is set to tell Congress that the crypto industry poses several potential hazards to the financial system, including the dangers of stablecoins, runs on crypto platforms and volatile prices, according to a brief portion of her testimony posted Monday.
Stablecoin Tether’s Increasing Dominance Is Bad for Crypto Markets, JPMorgan Says
Other stablecoins such as USD Coin may benefit from the coming regulatory crackdown and gain market share, the report said.
Stablecoins Surge: USDT Leads $400 Million Inflows, Signaling Investor Confidence
The cryptocurrency industry has witnessed a significant change in the movement of stablecoins, offering valuable observations into the evolving dynamics of the market. Recent data from IntoTheBlock and CryptoQuant has shown a surge in stablecoin inflows into exchanges, reaching record highs in January.
Notable inflows were observed on January 2nd ($478 million), January 3rd ($489 million), and January 26th ($673 million). However, this trend has since reversed, with outflows dominating the market.
On January 30th, there was a substantial outflow of $412 million, marking the second-highest daily outflow recorded in the month, following the $541 million outflow on January 19th.
USDT Leads Stablecoin Rally, But Caution Persists In Crypto Market
An analysis of the 24-hour trading volume of the top stablecoins on CoinMarketCap reveals that Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) collectively accounted for approximately 90% of the total volume. Tether, in particular, has been dominant in terms of flows, with a 24-hour trading volume exceeding $42 billion, while USDC’s volume stood at around $6 billion.
Taking a closer look at the flow of USDT through CryptoQuant, it was found that there was a substantial inflow of $373 million on January 26th, followed by a prevailing trend of outflows, with over $83.4 million observed at the time of writing.
Experts suggest that the rise in stablecoin inflows onto exchanges, particularly the $478 million on January 2nd, could indicate traders’ and investors’ readiness to participate in the market or their desire to safeguard their funds during uncertain times.
Conversely, the shift towards outflows may signal caution or preparation for potential market volatility. Additionally, the substantial inflow of stablecoins, especially USDT, could indicate increased buying power and intentions to establish positions in the cryptocurrency space.
Stablecoins Surge, Signal Investor Preparation
The increase in stablecoin inflows onto exchanges can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, it may indicate that investors and traders are preparing to enter the market. By moving their funds into stablecoins, they can quickly transition into other cryptocurrencies when they perceive favorable opportunities. This suggests a readiness to participate and take advantage of potential market movements.
Secondly, the rise in stablecoin inflows may also reflect a desire to keep funds in a secure manner, particularly during uncertain times. Stablecoins offer stability by being pegged to a specific asset, such as the US dollar, which can be appealing to investors seeking to protect their capital in times of market volatility. This cautious approach can be seen as a way to safeguard funds and mitigate risks in an unpredictable market.
Tether Records Nearly $3 Billion Profit
Meanwhile, Tether announced a “record-breaking” $2.85 billion in quarterly profits as the market capitalization of its main token, USDT, approached $100 billion.
According to a blog post by Tether, the interest gained on the company’s enormous holdings in US Treasury, reverse repo, and money market funds—which support the USDT stablecoin—account for around $1 billion of the earnings in the most recent quarterly attestation report that was released on Wednesday. Everything else was “mainly” due to the growth of Tether’s other assets, like gold and bitcoin (BTC), the stablecoin issuer said.
Featured image from Wccftech, chart from TradingView
Tether Reports Record $2.85B Profit as Biggest Stablecoin Nears $100B Market Cap
The USDT stablecoin issuer held over $5.4 billion in excess reserves as of 2023 year-end, according to its latest attestation.
Bitcoin Rally Still Has Some Legs Left, Santiment Explains Why
The analytics firm Santiment has explained that the current Bitcoin rally could still have some legs left, based on this on-chain trend.
Bitcoin & Ethereum Leave Exchanges, While Tether Sees Deposits
In a new post on X, Santiment has discussed the recent trends in the Supply on Exchanges for the three largest assets in the cryptocurrency sector: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether (USDT).
The “Supply on Exchanges” here refers to a metric that keeps track of the percentage of the total circulating supply of any given coin that’s currently sitting in the custody of the centralized exchanges.
When the value of this metric goes up, it means that the investors are depositing their coins to these platforms currently. On the other hand, a decline implies net withdrawals are occurring on the exchanges right now.
What these trends suggest for the given asset and the sector as a whole depends on the type of cryptocurrency it is in question. In the case of volatile coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum, net deposits can be a sign that investors are looking to sell these assets, which can naturally have a negative impact on their prices.
Since the altcoins generally only see a rotation of capital through these largest cryptocurrencies, a bearish trend for them can have a domino effect on their prices as well.
Withdrawals for these volatile coins, on the contrary, can be bullish for the market, as they imply the investors are perhaps looking to hold onto their tokens for extended periods.
Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the Supply on Exchanges for Bitcoin and Ethereum over the past year:
As displayed in the above graph, the Bitcoin and Ethereum Supply on Exchanges have continued their downtrend following the spot ETF approvals for BTC a few weeks back.
In the same chart, Santiment has also attached the data of the indicator for Tether. It would appear that while BTC and ETH have seen supply move off exchanges, USDT has observed net deposits.
The largest stablecoin in the sector has witnessed around 4% of its entire supply shifting to these platforms over the last five weeks, which has taken the indicator’s value to the highest point in almost ten months.
Investors use stablecoins whenever they want to escape the volatility associated with assets like BTC and ETH. Such holders who seek safe haven in these fiat-tied tokens instead of fiat itself, though, usually plan to return back to the volatile side of the cryptocurrency sector eventually.
Deposits of stablecoins can, therefore, be a sign that these investors want to buy back into Bitcoin and others. As such, the sector could see a bullish effect from this dry powder being deployed by the stablecoin holders.
“The increase in buying power implies that the mid-term 3+ month #bullcycle (starting back in October) could still have some legs, particularly with just 79 days until the #Bitcoin halving, estimated to occur on April 18th,” notes the analytics firm.
BTC Price
Bitcoin has made some notable recovery over the last few days as its price has now broken back above the $43,300 mark.
Circle to Issue Its Stablecoin USDC on Celo Network to Boost RWA Capabilities
Celo, which is in the midst of transforming into an Ethereum layer 2 network, increasingly positions itself as a blockchain for real-world assets.
A Backdoor Regulatory Option Haunts U.S. Crypto
After the 2008 global financial meltdown, Congress set up a round table of regulators who could wield a unique tool against the next emerging threats. The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) can tag companies with systemic-risk labels that saddle them with tremendous new restrictions, and the crypto sector has the council’s attention.
A Backdoor Regulatory Option Haunts U.S. Crypto
After the 2008 global financial meltdown, Congress set up a round table of regulators who could wield a unique tool against the next emerging threats. The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) can tag companies with systemic-risk labels that saddle them with tremendous new restrictions, and the crypto sector has the council’s attention.