The SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) has recently changed its attitude towards stablecoins, cryptocurrencies that are pegged to the dollar and maintain a stable price. Now some of them are officially recognized as monetary equivalents rather than securities. The main condition is the availability of reliable collateral and a secure repayment mechanism.
This is a pretty big step. Previously, such digital assets were under constant pressure from regulators. They were threatened with classification as securities, which imposed a lot of obligations on issuers and hindered development. But now the approach has become softer. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said that the reforms are aimed at modernizing the regulatory framework, taking into account the realities of the digital economy.
For major players — banks, investment funds and other financial organizations — this means the following: they can now use stablecoins such as USDC in settlements and reserves without fear of violating the law. This makes digital dollars more legitimate in the eyes of the traditional financial sector.
This caused a positive reaction in the financial world. Investors and analysts believe that the recognition of stablecoins as monetary equivalents opens the way for their integration into institutions, for example, for settlements between companies, storing liquidity, and even launching new financial products.
And here's an interesting fact: one of the largest stablecoins, the USDC, remains stable even with fluctuations in the crypto market. Its capitalization is now 64.38 billion dollars, and this is with minimal price changes (only -0.04% in 90 days). This suggests that such assets already have the necessary reliability to be considered part of the monetary system.
Now, stablecoins are approaching the status of commercial paper or even cash. And this is an almost complete recognition of them as a tool for serious financial transactions.
So here's the question:
If the digital dollar is now "on an equal footing" with the real one, isn't it time for banks and companies to massively switch to blockchain solutions?
