U.S. Fed says recent strain highlights ‘structural fragilities’ in stablecoin sector News ▸ US ▸ Terra · Tether ▸ Stablecoins
U.S. Fed says recent strain highlights ‘structural fragilities’ in stablecoin sector
The Fed states that vulnerabilities in stablecoins may be further heightened by the absence of transparency about the riskiness and liquidity of assets backing them.
2 min read
Updated: Jun. 21, 2022 at 4:13 pm UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
The Federal Reserve views stablecoins as an area of concern due to the recent strain on the digital assets, noting that this has highlighted the “structural fragilities in that rapidly growing sector.”
In a June 17 monetary policy report, the agency said that structural vulnerabilities remain at some money market funds, bond funds, and stablecoins but funding risks at domestic banks and broker-dealers are low.
Potential for regulation
The report states that stablecoins grew exponentially in recent years to a valuation of more than $180 billion in March 2022, with Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Binance USD (BSUD) constituting more than 80% of the total market value.
The agency alluded to the collapse of TerraUSD (UST) to highlight the lack of regulation and standards for stablecoins that are not backed by safe and sufficiently liquid assets, adding that it creates risks to investors and potentially to the financial system, including making such coins vulnerable to potentially destabilizing runs.
The Fed states in the report:
“The collapse in the value of certain stablecoins and recent strains experienced in markets for other digital assets demonstrate the fragility of such structures.”
The Fed states in the report that such vulnerabilities in these stablecoins may be further heightened by the absence of transparency about the riskiness and liquidity of assets backing such coins. It warned that the increased use of stablecoins, especially in levered trading in other cryptocurrencies, could increase volatility in demand as well as redemption risks.
According to the Fed, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have made recommendations to tackle the risks of stablecoins.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently advocated for a federal regulatory framework on stablecoins following the TerraUST collapse, which wiped billions of dollars off the crypto market.
Meanwhile, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell recently said the agency is examining how a CBDC could improve the existing payment system. The agency believes a U.S. CBDC has the potential to help maintain the dollar’s international standing.
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Author 
Abdulrasaq Ariwoola
Abdulrasaq is a blockchain maximalist who believes that technology is necessary for the future we are heading to. He is an ardent researcher, and writer who uses his writings to inform about the prospects in the blockchain space. He spends his free time writing movie scripts and combing the corners of Quora.
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TerraUSD (UST) is a decentralized and algorithmic stablecoin on the Terra blockchain.
Binance USD
$1.00132
BUSD is a stablecoin issued by Paxos in partnership with Binance..
USDD
$1.00124
USDD is a cryptocurrency issued by the TRON DAO Reserve with a stable price and diverse use cases.
Neutrino USD
$0.02225
Neutrino USD (USDN) is an algorithmic crypto-collateralized stablecoin pegged to the US dollar.