This is a guest post from Voyager, a crypto brokerage firm with a commission-free trading app.
In Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich’s 2020 crypto market predictions, he bet on stablecoins, and just weeks into the new year, his odds are looking pretty good.
Stablecoins are gaining traction at every end of the spectrum – from the European Central Bank to Pornhub, which announced Thursday that it would accept payments in Tether after PayPal abruptly stopped their service.
Stablecoins share many of the benefits of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies without the volatility because they’re pegged 1:1 with stable assets like the U.S. Dollar and the British Pound. They’re borderless, cost-efficient, and increase transaction speeds, making them appealing to banks, merchants, asset managers, and many other types of businesses.
This week, Bloomberg reported that stablecoins like Tether and USDC are gaining popularity among importers and exporters in Asia and Europe. According to the source, transactions with suppliers and vendors already reach up to $10 million a day at QCP Capital, a Singapore-based digital trading firm. At B2BinPay, a digital payment provider out of Moscow, millions of dollars worth of transactions are coming in monthly and increasing daily.
Different than coins backed by currencies like USDC, businesses are also launching stablecoins that’s value is tied to various assets and investment vehicles. For example, WisdomTree, which manages close to $63 billion in assets, is reportedly working to create its own stablecoin, which would be similar to an ETF backed by dollar-denominated assets like U.S. Treasury bonds.
In a press release Thursday, Tether revealed a new stablecoin, Tether Gold (XAU?). Each XAU? represents one troy fine ounce of gold on a specific gold bar. The new coin provides investors with the benefits of gold and digital assets, without the drawbacks of physically holding the precious metal.
With merchants around the world seeking alternative financial solutions, but unable to take on the volatility risk of Bitcoin, stablecoins are emerging as a vital asset in the growing digital economy. While lacking some of the benefits of decentralized cryptocurrencies, stablecoins will go a long way in spreading mass adoption by utilizing the blockchain to sell real-world goods, services, and commodities.
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The original Voyager post can be found here. You can earn $25 in BTC by signing up for the Voyager app and trading $100 (or use code SLUDGE25).
