• Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to maintain a stable value relative to a traditional currency, commodity, or other asset.
• The total market capitalization of stablecoins has grown rapidly over the past few years, reaching over $130 billion as of the time of writing.
• There are three types of stablecoins which are based on the mechanics used to stabilize their value.

Introduction

Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to maintain a stable value relative to a traditional currency, commodity, or other asset. It is their stability that makes them attractive for a number of use cases in the likes of facilitating cross-border transactions, serving as a store of value, and even enabling decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Overall, stablecoins were created with one big goal in mind – to address the high price fluctuations of native cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH).

Recent Developments

The development of stablecoins has increased significantly in recent years, with major players such as tether (USDT), the USD coin, and dai becoming increasingly prominent in the cryptocurrency market. The total market capitalization of stablecoins has grown rapidly over the past few years, reaching over $130 billion as of the time of writing. Moreover, with the Federal Reserve still mulling over the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), stablecoins are only growing in popularity.

Types Of Stablecoin

Overall, there are three types of stablecoins which are based on the mechanics used to stabilize their value: fiat-collateralized; crypto-collateralized; and algorithmic/non-collateralized. Fiat collateralized coins require users to deposit funds into an account before they can mint coins against it while crypto-collateralized coins require users to lock up cryptocurrency into an escrow wallet before they can mint coins against it. Algorithmic/non-collateralized coins rely on algorithms and smart contracts instead of collaterals like fiat or crypto assets for its stability mechanism.

Risks And How To Overcome Them

Despite all these benefits associated with CBDCs and stablecoins usage there remain some risks that need addressing if we want these technologies not just survive but thrive long term: counterparty risk; liquidity risk; regulatory uncertainty; technological risks; scalability issues etcetera We need more education regarding these topics so people understand why they should trust using them in first place – this is especially important when it comes down to CBDCs since central banks will be issuing them soon enough In order to ensure trust between users and providers governments should create clear regulations that don’t stifle innovation but also protect consumers from fraudsters who might try taking advantage from lack understanding about new technologies

Conclusion

In conclusion despite all potential risks associated with using CBDCs and other forms on noncustodial money there remain many advantages for using them which make them worth trying out if you interested With better understanding how those work we can start building trust towards those new instruments that will eventually shape our economic future