Why PayPal is entering the cryptocurrency market

PayPal has launched its own dollar stablecoin. We tell you why it is necessary and what it means for the cryptosphere. As well as what prospects the new instrument has on the global financial market

After two years of development and portability, PayPal has launched its own dollar-stablecoin. And actually became one of the first major payment companies that were able to bring their crypto product to the mass market.

The stablecoin from the payment service was named PayPal USD and the stock ticker PYUSD. Its issuer is Paxos and it will be fully backed by dollar deposits, short-term treasuries and similar financial instruments. Its exchange rate is pegged to the U.S. dollar exchange rate. And the company will initially gradually make it available to PayPal customers in the US.

Stablecoin from PayPal will be exchangeable for dollars or other cryptocurrencies available in PayPal wallets. The company will set an exchange rate that includes the service’s commission on each conversion. PayPal USD will also be able to be used to pay for purchases through a wallet in Venmo, a popular payment app from PayPal. In addition, it will be possible to transfer the token to compatible third-party wallets that are not part of the PayPal network. At an early stage, PayPal expects that PYUSD will be used mainly in the cryptocurrency and Web3 sectors, for example, to exchange for other crypto-assets or for payments in blockchain games. Even then, steiblcoin will gradually gain traction in areas such as money transfers and micropayments.

Stablecoin from PayPal has every chance to join the list of the most popular stablecoins in the future.

PayPal itself has a developed infrastructure and is represented in many countries. It greatly facilitates cross-border payments and speeds them up.

PayPal is actively used by freelancers and developers with international customers. Our experts believe that PYUSD will be a convenient way for them to get paid. It is also interesting that PayPal by the readiness of its infrastructure bypasses many central banks that are just trying to develop digital national currencies (CBDC). In other words, we are witnessing the emergence of a corporate currency that has a chance to become a significant player in the currency market, displacing central banks.

PayPal is one of the global payment giants, so we would like to believe that the future of PYUSD is very bright. At least due to the support of 430 million users of the platform.

Pay Pal and cryptocurrencies

PayPal has been supporting transactions with cryptocurrencies for some time now. And allows users to store such of them as Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC). In its earnings report for the first quarter of this year, the company said it stores about $1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies for its customers.

Since last year, users have been able to transfer cryptocurrency from PayPal accounts to third-party wallets. The company also invests in blockchain startups. And that includes recently leading a $52 million investment round for Magic. Which provides infrastructure for integrating digital wallets into online services and enterprise projects.

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund venture capital fund began investing in Bitcoin back in early 2014. Shortly before the collapse of the crypto market in the spring of 2022, the fund sold almost all cryptocurrency assets, earning about $1.8 billion.

In 2021, it first became known that PayPal began looking for developers to create its own dollar-stablecoin. Despite regulatory scrutiny, problems over the BUSD issue, Paxos remained PayPal’s launch partner for the steblecoin. The company said the partnership was a milestone for the entire industry.

“PYUSD is a first-of-its-kind currency that represents the next stage in the evolution of the U.S. dollar on blockchain,” Paxos said.

And calling PayPal USD “the world’s most secure dollar-backed digital asset.” On the day of the announcement of the stablecoin, the U.S. House of Representatives issued a press release. And where it says that with proper regulation, stablecoins “could become the basis for a 21st century payment system in the United States.”

The PYUSD stablecoin is not yet available on cryptocurrency exchanges. And to purchase it, you must be verified on PayPal’s website.

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Cryptotraders made money on shorting TUSD stablecoin

Abnormal demand for TUSD Stablecoin supported by the largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance led to the growth of its rate above $1. And opened up non-standard opportunities for earnings

High demand for TrueUSD (TUSD) stablecoin led to the fact. At the moment, its rate exceeded $1 by 20%. This was used by cryptocurrency traders. Who played on the decrease of stablecoin. At the same time, expecting its return to parity with the dollar soon. Massive borrowing of TUSD in decentralized credit services led to a high growth of their interest rates.

TUSD’s share of the most capitalized stablecoin is skyrocketing. And largely thanks to the support of the largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The coin is ranked 29th by CoinMarketCap among all existing crypto-assets. Its market capitalization rose to $2.4 billion this week, though it was still at $755 million at the end of 2022.

Stablecoin was relatively unpopular until Binance eliminated trading commissions in the BTC/TUSD pair. From May 1 to May 2, abnormal demand for Stablecoin led to its decoupling from the dollar exchange rate (called depreciation). But if decoupling from the dollar for stablecoins usually implies a drop in the exchange rate. That’s what happened with the USDC during the Sillion Valley Bank crash in March. TUSD, on the other hand, was momentarily trading at a premium, hitting a high of $1.20.

How traders made money

The BTC/TUSD pair on Binance is now one of the largest trading pairs by volume in the entire industry. TUSD’s liquidity is not keeping up with its volumes. Which makes such a depeg more likely.

Traders have been using the decentralized Aave and Compound credit protocols. To borrow large amounts in TUSD. And quickly exchanged them for USDC, another stablecoin with a link to the U.S. dollar.

Aave and Compound are decentralized lending and borrowing protocols running on the Ethereum blockchain. Users of both can lend or borrow cryptoassets without intermediaries, using both stable and variable interest rates.

The most common strategy was to borrow TUSD and then exchange it for USDC. Which allowed us to effectively “short” TUSD from its increased price. However, neither Aave nor Compound has such large volumes of TUSD. Because of this, borrowing rates rose quickly, exceeding 100% per annum in both protocols.

TUSD demand rises

Speculation in the loan protocols is not the only reason for the increased demand for TUSD stablecoin. Our experts note that Binance has placed the highly popular SUI token on its Launchpool platform. At the same time, it gave users the opportunity to place BNB coins or TUSD stablecoins in staking, receiving income in the form of SUI tokens. Amid strong excitement, investors placed $4 billion worth of assets on the platform, with $770 million of that coming from TUSD.

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SG Forge announces the launch of stablecoin

SG Forge, a digital subsidiary of Societe Generale, announces the launch of Stablecoin

Digital services provider and subsidiary of Societe Generale. SG Forge, announced the launch of a EUR CoinVertible (EURCV) stablecoin tied to the euro exchange rate for institutional clients. This token runs on the Ethereum blockchain.

The goal of issuing stablecoin was to “bridge the gap” between traditional capital markets and the digital asset ecosystem, SG Forge said in a statement. The company envisions the coin to become a secure means of payment. It will enable new solutions in corporate treasury and cash management. And it will be used to provide liquidity in the network.

SG Forge points out that the system provides “full segregation” of collateral assets. At the same time supporting the value of EUR CoinVertible, from the issuer of tokens. And it will update daily the information about the reserves on the company’s website.

The new digital asset will only be available to customers registered by Societe Generale Group in accordance with existing KYC verification procedures. And AML (Anti-Money Laundering) requirements.

In early April, Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual announced the launch of the BTG Dol, a U.S. dollar-linked stablecoin. In Japan, banks are also considering issuing stablecoins, so far it is a matter of testing.

 

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Brazilian bank issues USD stablecoin on Polygon blockchain

BTG Dol stablecoin token is available for buy from 100 Brazilian reals ($20) on the investment platform of BTG Pactual bank and in the cryptocurrency app Mynt

Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual announced the launch of stablecoin BTG Dol. Which will be related to the U.S. dollar exchange rate. The token will be based on the Polygon blockchain, the bank told DeCrypt.

BTG Pactual noted that this is the world’s first ” dollar” stablecoin issued by the bank. Also according to André Portillo, head of digital assets at BTG Pactual.  This asset will allow its owners to transfer some of their capital into dollars in a simple, efficient and safe way.

Additionally, BTG Pactual will hold and manage reserves of stablecoin. It will also be responsible for regulatory compliance.

Also BTG Dol is available for purchase from 100 Brazilian reais (about $20). It can be purchased on the BTG Pactual investment platform and in the Mynt app. Which was launched by the bank in 2021 and currently supports 22 cryptocurrencies.

Also Polygon is a Layer 2 solution for Ethereum, one of several blockchain platforms. Which allows to optimize the processing of transactions on network. This blockchain is used by Mastercard, Adidas, Disney, Starbucks, Adobe and many others.

Our experts note that the Polygon token (MATIC) is ranked tenth by market capitalization among all cryptocurrencies with an index of $10.4 billion.

 

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U.S. regulators declared war on BUSD and basically on all stablecoins

Attack of American regulators on BUSD and what consequences will face Binance from impossibility to issue its own stablecoin. Review by Crypto-Upvotes experts

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has informed Paxos Trust that it plans to sue it for violating investor protection laws. According to the regulator, Binance USD (BUSD), the third most capitalized stablecoin, is the third-largest. This digital asset, which Paxos issues, is an unregistered security. It is not yet known whether the SEC notice specifically relates to the issuance of BUSD, its listing on exchanges, or both.

The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has since ordered Paxos to cease issuing new BUSD tokens altogether. In listing the consequences of stopping the issuance of BUSD, Changpeng Zhao, head of the Binance exchange, admitted. That capitalization of this asset will continue to decline and investors will start to switch to other stablecoins.

Risks to other stablecoins are high

News about banning issue of stablecoin Binance USD (BUSD) had a negative impact on the market. But not as much as from the collapsed FTX exchange. The SEC is investigating the Binance exchange. So Paxos is also in target of the regulator and the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

The regulator considers BUSD to be an unregistered security. But with that logic, other stablecoins, USDT and USDC, would also be at risk. Most likely, someone wants to get control of Binance. And creating problems not only for the leading exchange, but also for the whole industry. The risks to other Stablecoins are high.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said he will continue to support BUSD for the foreseeable future. The company predicts that customers will switch to other stablecoins. Therefore, the platform will make changes accordingly.

U.S. regulators declare war on stabelcoins

There are no frontiers for U.S. regulators. All it takes is one American citizen using some platform or protocol. For US regulators to consider these protocols as belonging to their jurisdiction. Attack on stablecoin issuers was expected, the SEC has been saying for years that these companies are not transparent enough. And they don’t comply with U.S. banking laws, don’t have the necessary reserves and so on. If SEC attacked a BUSD issuer, it would be wise to get ready for attacks on other stablecoins, especially USDT and USDC. Given USDT’s majority share of stablecoin market. An attack on them is fraught with a serious crisis in cryptocurrency market and subsequent collapse of all coins without exception.

Our experts note that U.S. regulators have openly declared war on at least Binance itself. In a broader sense, this is a continuation of the fight against stablecoins as an element of opposition to the classical financial system on behalf of the Web 3.0 sphere.

This is a global and extremely important event. It should be taken carefully, and you should read the contents of the documents published by the NYDFS regulator about the ban on continuing to issue BUSD. In fact, it means banning BUSD, but it may be followed by a series of lawsuits.

Our experts are sure that Binance was ready for that. And its management will find a legal and reasonable way out of this situation. Further wide usage of BUSD is out of the question. Perhaps, there will be some alternative or solution. The other major exchanges that issue stablecoins should be prepared for an attack and take some action. In fact, war has been declared on all of them.

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Ethereum blockchain was used by an Australian bank to create its own stablecoin

Launch of a new cryptocurrency, attached to Australian dollar exchange rate on Ethereum blockchain, scheduled for mid-2023. Crypto-Upvotes expert review

National Australia Bank (NAB), one of four major Australian banks, has created an AUDN stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain. It will be attached to the rate of Australian dollar (AUD), according to Australian Financial Review. Banks plan to launch this coin in mid-2023.

The goal of creating AUDN is to allow bank customers to make real-time blockchain-based settlements in Australian dollars, the NAB said. AUDN can also be used for a number of other purposes, including carbon credit trading and repo transactions.

NAB also intends to use AUDN for low-cost international transfers. According to the bank, the technology will avoid using the SWIFT system. And reduce dependence on complex and costly relationships with correspondent banks when sending money abroad.

For at least three months AUDN will not be available to customers. Because while the bank under the supervision of regulators is conducting internal testing. Including transfers between subsidiaries and branches.

AUDN is not the first stablecoin to be pegged to the Australian dollar. 9 months earlier, Australia-New Zealand banking group ANZ Bank issued the A$DC (“A dollar DC”) coin. Also Novatti payment system created the AUDD stablecoin on Stellar blockchain. And Ettle has launched AUDE token on Ethereum and Algorand.

There are also stablecoins linked to Australian dollar exchange rates such as AUDT, XAUD, AUDRamp and TrueAUD. Volumes of these cryptocurrencies are minimal.

Last month, Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe said that regulating stable coins should be a priority and should be treated the same as bank deposits. Our experts note that Australia is also actively developing legislation and introducing technology for other digital assets. For example, in the middle of last year, Australian Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate proposed accepting cryptocurrency in payment of municipal taxes.

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