Technology

Ripple to launch U.S. dollar stablecoin, taking on a $150 billion market dominated by Tether, Circle

Ripple to launch U.S. dollar stablecoin, taking on a 0 billion market dominated by Tether, Circle

In 2020, the U.S. SEC accused Ripple and its co-founders of breaching securities laws by selling its native cryptocurrency XRP without first registering it with the SEC.

Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Crypto startup Ripple is the latest major player to jump into the $150 billion stablecoin market with the launch of a digital currency pegged to the U.S. dollar.

The stablecoin will always be backed 1-to-1 by an equivalent sum of assets — U.S. dollar deposits, U.S. government bonds and cash equivalents — that the company holds in reserve, according to Ripple.

The crypto firm said its reserves would be accounted for in publicly available monthly attestation reports. It did not say which firm will audit.

Ripple is first launching its stablecoin in the U.S., but didn’t rule out offering additional regional products in non-U.S. markets, like Europe and Asia.

The move would pit Ripple against stablecoin giants like Tether, which is behind the largest stablecoin UDST, and USDC issuer Circle.

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