The stablecoin market cap surpassed its 2022 all-time high of $187 billion. Now, this particular market is entering uncharted territory and rapidly approaching the $200 billion mark.
It took just over two years for the stablecoin sector to recover from the blow of the Terra collapse. It should be remembered that this network had a token linked to the United States dollar. This was the infamous UST, which was an algorithmic currency whose peg was not supported by equivalent dollar reserves. Contrary to this, its peg with the USD was based on a complex system involving the LUNA token.
The LUNA token, on the other hand, also enjoyed great advantages such as a burn schedule that projected its price enormously. The demand for these two coins ensured that a disparity with the UST stablecoin was impossible. The latter offered huge returns of more than 20%, which made it a sensation.
However, some analysts warned that the algorithmic foundation would not support a bear market. With the first signs of winter 2022, the spiral began. Since then, the market capitalization of stablecoins has plummeted. Finally, a few hours ago, that stage was overcome.
Stablecoin market cap is close to $200 billion
At the time of writing, CoinMarketCap data shows that stablecoin market cap is at $196 billion. The outlook is for this mark to be left behind very soon. This is due to the sector’s projections of breaking through its current boundaries.
Since their creation, these particular tokens have served the purpose of mediating conversions between different virtual currencies. They are also presented as useful tools to escape volatility without having to go into the fiat world. However, another function will soon be added to that: cross-border payments.
Major players in the sector such as Tether, the issuer of USDT, are preparing to become international payment agents. Similarly, other firms such as Stripe have plans to enter this sector. Specifically, Stripe is preparing to acquire Bridge for $1.1 billion to strengthen its entry into the field of electronic payments with stablecoins.
Other big-name companies like Ripple and PayPal are also set to claim prominence in this particular sector. As can be anticipated, the $200 billion market cap of stablecoins seems a modest mark if the projections mentioned above come to pass.
For now, this market appears to be a sector of almost total dominance of Tether's USDT, which controls 70% of the capitalization. However, new use cases could make this a more diverse market with less of a monopoly appearance.