These are surely good times for Stabelcoins. The world’s largest economy’s banking regulator.
In a detailed letter released yesterday, permitted national banks to hold reserve currencies for stablecoins (Tether, Circle). The letter which was released by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) responds to questions regarding the application of stablecoin-related bank activities. It concludes that national banks and federal savings associations may hold “reserves” on behalf of customers who issue stablecoins, in situations where the coins are held in hosted wallets.
“National banks and federal savings associations currently engage in stable coin-related activities involving billions of dollars each day,” Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Brian P. Brooks, said. “This opinion provides greater regulatory certainty for banks within the federal banking system to provide those client services in a safe and sound manner.”
READ: GTBank, Access Bank, 11 others pay workers N271.64 billion in H1 2020
The letter addresses the use of stablecoins backed by a single fiat currency on a one-to-one basis, where the bank verifies at least daily that reserve account balances meet or exceed the number of the issuer’s outstanding stablecoins.
What are Stablecoins?
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies created to minimize the price swings that occur in a crypto asset. They are usually pegged to fiat currencies and often exchange-traded commodities.
Stablecoins give owners a sense of security as users can store their assets whenever there is high volatility in the crypto-verse or other financial markets.
Consumers can also with great ease convert from unpegged cryptocurrencies to stablecoins when they are worried about where the markets are heading next, eliminating the need to return to a fiat currency.
READ: CBN allows banks to pay winnings, salaries for 7 banned betting & gaming companies
These conversions can also be less expensive than when switching between crypto and fiat, as it takes the transaction fees of payment processing providers and banks out of the equation.
Global Investors and traders are using it to give their investment portfolios exposure to the US Dollar during these times when uncertainty is high, as a result of the worst pandemic (COVID-19) known to man.
READ: Jaiz Bank: First shared-profit bank in Nigeria approaches 10 years
Sequel to this landmark statement, Nairametrics about a month ago, detailed the importance of stablecoins in modern-day finance.
“Stablecoins like Tether are particularly useful for capital flight, as their USD-pegged value means users selling off large amounts in exchange for their fiat currency of choice can rest assured that it’s unlikely to lose its value as they seek a buyer,” Chainalysis said in the report.