Stablecoin issuers’ $182 billion US Treasury hoard ranks 17th among countries, beating UAE and South Korea

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Four US-dollar stablecoin issuers clasp astir $182 cardinal successful US Treasury bills, an magnitude that would slot them 17th connected the Treasury Department’s country-by-country league table.

The magnitude successful overnight Treasury-collateralized repos and Treasury-heavy wealth marketplace funds would enactment the radical betwixt Norway’s $195.9 cardinal and Saudi Arabia’s $133.8 billion.

Tether’s USDT tops the cohort. Its first-quarter attestation showed $120 cardinal successful Treasuries, portion CEO Paolo Ardoino told CNBC successful precocious May that the steadfast held “more than $125 billion” and continues to expand.

Circle’s May accountant’s study listed $28.7 cardinal successful T-bills and $26.5 cardinal successful overnight repos, for a combined $55.2 cardinal backing USDC.

First Digital’s May 31 dashboard showed $1.665 cardinal successful FDUSD reserves, 78% of which is held successful Treasury bills, amounting to astir $1.3 billion.

Paxos’ PayPal USD (PYUSD) uses overnight reverse-repo agreements collateralized 97% by Treasuries. It has $878 cardinal outstanding, which implies astir $880 cardinal successful authorities debt.

According to US Treasury information from April, those positions scope $182.4 billion, capable to leapfrog South Korea and the United Arab Emirates and autumn conscionable shy of Norway.

Treasury insubstantial dominates reserves

Issuers bargain short-dated authorities indebtedness due to the fact that it settles T-plus-zero astatine clearing banks, offers regular liquidity, and earns yields present supra 5%. 

Tether’s latest assurance showed that Treasuries, repos, and Treasury-only money-market funds represented much than 80% of its collateral, helping thrust $1 billion successful first-quarter profit.

Circle uses BlackRock’s SEC-registered Circle Reserve Fund to clasp its bills and repos, enabling same-day liquidation if redemptions spike.

Ardoino said that issuing stablecoins “creates incremental request for US indebtedness without relying connected the banking system,” citing Tether’s ranking supra that of Germany, the UAE, and Spain.

Circle and Paxos person made akin arguments successful argumentation filings, noting that narrowly distributed, highly liquid collateral protects holders during marketplace stress.

Regulatory backdrop

Lawmakers successful Washington and Brussels are considering bills that would restrict reserve assets to currency and short-term Treasury securities, maintaining the existent creation but limiting diversification into golden oregon firm bonds. 

The GENIUS Act, which cleared the Senate successful June, would formalize those limits. At the aforesaid time, Europe’s Markets successful Crypto-Assets (MiCA) authorities already bars commodities for euro-pegged coins. 

Stablecoin treasurers accidental the projected rules align with their concern profile, though they pass that attraction successful 1 plus people links stablecoin liquidity to Federal Reserve backing conditions.

The station Stablecoin issuers’ $182 cardinal US Treasury hoard ranks 17th among countries, beating UAE and South Korea appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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