💵 Stablecoin Issuers Hold Hundreds of Billions in U.S. Treasury Bonds
As a key bridge connecting digital assets and traditional finance in the cryptocurrency market, the management of reserve assets by stablecoin issuers has garnered significant attention. In recent years, leading stablecoin issuers (such as Tether and Circle, the issuer of USDC) have continuously increased their holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds, with some exceeding $100 billion. This phenomenon reflects the maturity of the stablecoin industry and reveals its deep ties to the traditional financial system.
Market Size and Reserve Composition
• The global stablecoin market cap has reached $260 billion, accounting for 8% of crypto assets
• Tether holds $120 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds, surpassing several sovereign nations
• Circle (USDC) holds over $22 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds
• Approximately 80% of the stablecoin industry's reserves are allocated to U.S. Treasury bonds
Policy Drivers and Institutional Participation
• The GENIUS Act requires payment-based stablecoins to have a 1:1 reserve, allowing U.S. Treasury bonds to qualify as assets within 93 days
• European bank Société Générale launched the CoinVertible product
• Companies like Ant Group and JD.com are deeply engaged in the Hong Kong stablecoin market
• The high liquidity and low risk characteristics of U.S. Treasury bonds enhance the credit backing of stablecoins
Trading Opportunities
• Pay attention to the relationship between U.S. Treasury bond yields and stablecoin premiums/discounts (currently 0.15%-0.25%)
• Track the impact of reserve structure adjustments before the implementation of the GENIUS Act on short-term Treasury bonds
• Extreme volatility in BTC/ETH may trigger on-chain liquidity rebalancing
Market Sentiment
• 73% of users believe that increased U.S. Treasury reserves enhance the credit rating of stablecoins
• Some express concerns about the concentration risk of Treasury bonds (USDT holdings account for 5.7% of the market)
• Watch the trend of RWA tokenization and innovations related to U.S. Treasury bonds
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