In my view, stablecoins are a form of private money. The concept is not new. As long as the community recognizes this as a form of money, then it is money.
Having said so, it depends on whether you are talking about dollar-collateralized, company-collateralized, cryptocurrency-collateralized, or non-collateralized stablecoins. Each kind of design comes with pros and cons. For the time being those that are properly collateralized and approved by a country’s financial services authority would be in favor and can be the forerunner.
This process is still in the research stage for many countries. Ideally, in the longer term, I would like to see interoperability between various stablecoins and CBDCs. This will then bring out the true meaning of crypto and a new era of financial systems.
– Anndy Lian
What is the role of stablecoins in digital assets ecosystem
The cryptocurrency market, which continues to tackle uncertainties around it, has seen the usage of stablecoins multiply in last couple of years. According to data by European Central Bank, stablecoins’ market capitalisation increased from €23 billion to around €150 billion in the Q1, CY2021. In September, 2021, around 75% of trading on cryptocurrency platforms involved stablecoins. Market behaviour suggests that stablecoins are being used to trade cryptocurrency assets. “Stablecoins act as intermediary when cryptocurrency investors want to exit a market position and re-enter it later. Stablecoins can help with trading between different cryptocurrency exchanges, and can also help investors with their financial stability when cryptocurrency markets are bearish in nature,” Sathvik Vishwanath, co-founder and CEO, Unocoin, a cryptocurrency exchange, told FE Digital Currency.
Reportedly, stablecoins such as Tether, USD Coin and Binance USD account for close to 90% of the total stablecoin market. According to experts, stablecoins can be used as a currency because of its collateral value being associated with the United States Dollar (USD). Information from Federal Reserve, a government body, mentioned that a two-tiered banking system, where banks are supervised under state and federal levels, can support both stablecoin issuance and maintain traditional forms of credit creation. “As stablecoins are backed by financial services authorities, it can be a frontrunner in the cryptocurrency space. In the longer-term, I believe interoperability between stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will take place,” Anndy Lian, chief digital advisor, Mongolian Productivity, a governmental organisation, said.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.