With The Rise Of Stablecoins, Can Crypto Realize Its Potential In Developing Markets? (2024)

It’s been a wild ride for cryptocurrencies over the past couple of years. From the 2017 surge to the 2018 crash, entire industries surrounding the space have risen and contracted in a matter of months. Despite the increased attention on and investment in the crypto space, there are unresolved issues plaguing the industry and hampering its potential impact on a macro scale. Is the stablecoin--a new form of digital currency whose price is linked to another asset--the solution to the crypto industry’s problems, particularly within developing markets? And if so, which applications of digital currency can stablecoins enable?

Rise Of The Stablecoin

The stablecoin--a new form of cryptocurrency pegged to another asset such as fiat currency (the U.S. dollar, euro etc.), precious metal, or another cryptocurrency--theoretically represents the crypto industry’s response to the core issues of trust in and durability of cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins can be thought of as the (unproven) low risk and reliable crypto option. Their value lies in their ability to store and efficiently transfer rather than grow wealth, and they bridge the gap between physical and digital currency.

There are two broad types of stablecoins: collateralized and uncollateralized/algorithmic. Collateralized stablecoins are reserve-backed by real-world assets (fiat or commodities) or backed by other cryptocurrencies, while uncollateralized stablecoins are pegged algorithmically.

For each real-world asset backed coin, an equivalent value in U.S. dollars or gold as an example is set aside in a bank. Trust is built and maintained in partnership with a centralized financial institution. This means real-world asset backed coins should be fully and easily redeemable for their associated assets, and that coins should not be created and circulated except when this holds true. The most popular real-world backed (and overall) stablecoin, Tether, maintains an overwhelming percentage of the total stablecoin market capitalization, although this share has declined significantly--around 10 percentage points--in October 2018. Other notable real-world backed stablecoins include TrueUSD, USD Coin, Paxos Standard, and Gemini Dollar.

Crypto-collateralized coins are backed by other cryptocurrencies. Because cryptocurrencies are less stable than real-world assets, crypto-collateralized coins are over-collateralized. Whereas a U.S. dollar pegged stable coin would be pegged 1:1 (US$1 for 1 stablecoin), an ethereum backed stablecoin might be pegged 2:1 (US$2 worth of ethereum for US$1 worth of the stablecoin) to ensure stability even with large fluctuation. The primary crypto-collateralized stablecoin, Maker Dai, is pegged to the U.S. dollar, but backed by ethereum.

The final type of stablecoin, uncollateralized or algorithmic stablecoin, is fully decentralized and is stabilized by algorithms dictating its value. These algorithms maintain value and stability by controlling the supply of the uncollateralized stablecoin--shrinking and growing it as needed. Basecoin is an example of an uncollateralized stablecoin: when the coin value dips below US$1, coin supply contracts (coin holders buy bonds using their coins, after which the used coins are destroyed) to increase the price, and the reverse holds true when the value exceeds US$1.

How Stable Are Stablecoins?

Stablecoins have already had their share of controversy and growing pains in their short lifespan, and the jury is out on whether these struggles should be attributed to the coins’ immaturity or to fundamental flaws in their construction.

Real-world collateralized coins, in theory the most proven stablecoin model given their centralized store of value, have not yet proven themselves to be reliable. Tether specifically has come under attack because of questions surrounding its accounting and the process through which each of its coins is backed by U.S. dollars 1:1. The company has consistently been reluctant to provide audits of its reserves, and stands accused of manipulating the value of other cryptocurrencies because of a suspect relationship between it and the Bitfinex exchange (the two companies share executive leadership).

On October 15th, Tether broke its 1:1 link with the U.S. dollar, with one USDT token falling below US$1, jeopardizing its stability. Additionally, this past week, news broke that Tether had destroyed 500 million USDT tokens, a tactic many believe is the company’s way of intentionally contracting supply. The USDT token has recovered since its fall, but questions remain and its share of the total stablecoin market cap took a substantial hit. Apart from Tether, other real-world collateralized stablecoins have and continue to fluctuate slightly above or below US$1, enough to question whether a true 1:1 peg is possible. Even if real-world collateralized coins are able to eventually stabilize, crypto purists argue that the fact that real-world collateralized coins require a central third party clashes with the very premise of cryptocurrency.

As far as the other types of stablecoins, onemight argue the inverse of the above point: that crypto-collateralized stablecoins undermine the very premise of the stablecoin. While they offer more decentralization than real-world collateralized stablecoins, because these coins peg one historically volatile cryptocurrency to another, what’s to say that the coin serving as backer could not fluctuate enough to irreparably undermine the stability of the backed coin? Following this line of thinking, algorithmically-based coins are even further removed from a real and proven model of backing, and are far more complex than real-world collateralized stablecoins. Holders of uncollateralized tokens lack a claim on any underlying assets in the event of token collapse.

Despite these issues and outstanding questions, the number of new projects and investment has only grown in 2018. Stablecoin projects, of which there are around 50 either live or in development, have raised a combined US$350 million in investment capital, attracting attention from financial institutions within and outside of the crypto world. Major exchanges have begun to embrace stablecoins, and Tether ranks 8th in total market cap among all cryptocurrencies at the time of writing despite its recent woes. This is a testament to the wide-ranging potential of the stablecoin. If true stability (or truer stability than existing alternatives)is achieved, stablecoins could serve to unlock the potential of cryptocurrency and expand its application and impact in the developing world.

Stablecoin Use Cases For Developing Markets

The primary use case for stablecoin in its current conception is a tool to bypass restrictions arising from the clash between traditional financial institutions and crypto institutions. Many crypto exchanges can’t deal directly in fiat currency, so stablecoins act as a valuable substitute: a medium of exchange and a store of value. They allow investors to have more control over their funds--effectively both moving between cash and crypto and storing their funds in reserve without undermining their value, especially in periods of volatility. Stablecoins also offer exchanges access to the much needed liquidity they can’t access through banks using traditional means.

This use case scratches the surface of what a truly stable coin can enable: the next generation of financial products and services built on the blockchain and transacted leveraging the benefits of digital currency. This includes insurance-related products, better and more equitable credit networks and loans for the many unbanked or underbanked populations in the developing world, smart contract dividend payments, and more. These products might not currently be viable on a large scale because of the volatility associated with standard cryptocurrencies, however stablecoins could change that, lending credibility to existing products and catalyzing the research and development of new products.

On an even broader macro level, the achievement of a stable coin could help citizens in developing countries gain reliable access to price-stable cryptocurrency assets. Throughout history, currency devaluation has caused havoc in unstable economies. Recent examplesinclude the economies ofArgentina and Turkey. For those citizens holding a collapsing currency (or even one experiencing high inflation rates), the idea of transferring wealth into a stable cryptocurrency is an appealing proposition, essentially replacing a volatile currency with the substitute for a more stable currency.

A Novel Approach

The potential impact of stablecoins is too great to ignore, however they currently fall short of this promise. How can stablecoins evolve? How can they boost their stability andsubsequent adoption? One solution being pursued by a select few stablecoin companies is creating hybrid models of stablecoins combining multiple types of backing.

Vault, a Canadian-Swiss companybacked by a consortium of precious metal focused private equity funds, is taking such an approach, and is planning to launch its USDVault stablecoin by the end of 2018. There are other stablecoins usingmultiple concurrent mechanisms reinforcing stabilizationsuch as multiple fiat currencies, but The USDVault token is unique in that it is the only U.S. dollar peggedand gold backed stablecoin--a formidable combination. Furthermore, the tokens are fully redeemable for either U.S. dollars or gold.

As Vault Co-Founder and CEO Ranjeet Sodhi explains: “LBMA gold bullion (physical gold) is purchased only when a customer buys the USDVault token by sending their funds to our fiduciary partner. The funds are sent to a trust via our fiduciary partners and this trust then purchases an equivalent amount of gold bullion (which is stored in fully insured Swiss vaults). The trust also executes a gold hedge, and in parallel instructs Vault to issue the USDVault token to the customer’s wallet.” This process ensures not only increased stability, but also increased transparency as all transactions are overseen by third party fiduciary partners, avoiding the issues presently casting a shadow over Tether.

The USDVault token will be targeted toward institutional investors at first, with individual investors soon to follow. Tokens will be available both directly via Vault, and also via partner exchanges. The company plans to charge small issuance, redemption, and vaulting fees to generate revenue.

Time will tell whether the dollar pegged, gold backed model can achieve what other stablecoin models haven’t been able to, but the launch of multi-backed coins like USDVault is a step in the right direction. As more and better stablecoin projects launch, each will be able to learn from its predecessors and competitors, and to incorporate best practices to minimize risk and maximize stability.

The Future of Stablecoins

Stablecoins have already accomplished a crucial goal for the crypto industry: highlighting the need to identify ways to better build trust into crypto. As stablecoin projects strive to generatetrust, patience and supportis required both from the crypto industry and from the centralized banking industry. This comes in the form of financial backing to ensure liquidity, regulatory backing with an understanding that stablecoins are the closest things to real-world assets that exist in the crypto world, and the backing of crypto exchanges in promoting stablecoins on their platforms.

If these conditions are met, it’s entirely possible that down the road, the currency solution of the future will be equal parts cash and crypto, centralization and decentralization, speed and security. All in the name of achieving the pinnacle of currency: true and lasting stability.

Editor's Note: This post was updated on July 28, 2019.