As a seasoned researcher with over two decades of experience in the financial markets, I have witnessed countless trends and cycles. The current surge in the stablecoin market cap is indeed an interesting development that I find myself intrigued by.


The total market value of stablecoins has peaked at an unprecedented $169.57 billion, after consistently expanding for almost a year straight.

This year, prominent stablecoins like Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC have experienced a strong comeback, with a fresh entrant also gaining traction.

Stablecoin Market Cap Surge

According to findings from DefiLlama, the current market value of stablecoins has reached an all-time high, exceeding the previous record of $167 billion set in March 2022. This peak was followed by a decrease to $135 billion by the end of the year.

Based on the recent milestone, crypto expert Patrick Scott asserts that this new high signifies a new wave of investment in the cryptocurrency market, hinting at revived enthusiasm and trust towards this sector.

In much the same way, we’ve reached an unprecedented peak. The combined value of all stablecoins, excluding those based on algorithms, has soared to a record level, exceeding its prior peak from the start of 2022. Fresh funds are flowing into the crypto market.

The growing stablecoin market cap might be a sign that institutional investors are funneling more funds into crypto, but Scott emphasized that retail participation has been ongoing for at least eight months.

At the moment, USDT (Tether) is dominating the charts as the primary stablecoin. It has seen a remarkable growth in market capitalization this year, expanding by approximately 28%. This means that its value has climbed from about $92 billion at the start of the year to an impressive $118 billion currently. To put it simply, USDT accounts for around 70% of the total market cap in stablecoins.

As an analyst, I’ve noticed a significant surge in the value of Circle’s USDC throughout 2024. Initially starting at around $24 billion in early January, it has grown impressively to reach $34.67 billion by August 26th, despite some short-term fluctuations along the way.

Over the weekend, I’ve observed a significant growth in the market capitalization of PYUSD, the stablecoin backed by PayPal. This growth has propelled it ahead of USDD, placing it as the fifth largest stablecoin in existence, with its market cap surpassing the $1 billion mark.

Despite a surge in market capitalization, the trading volumes for stablecoins have decreased instead, according to CCData. In July, there was an 8.35% decline, reaching a volume of approximately $795 billion. This drop is attributed to reduced activity on centralized exchanges and regulatory challenges in Europe due to MiCA, which persisted into August, where the trading volumes currently stand at roughly $52 billion.

Stablecoin Minting Pushes Bitcoin

According to Matrixport’s recent analysis, the surge in Bitcoin’s price up to $65,000 can largely be attributed to the process of minting stablecoins. While investments into spot Bitcoin ETFs have also contributed, the consistent creation of stablecoins has been identified as the main factor fueling this price increase over the past fortnight.

Stablecoins seem to play a vital role as an entry point for traditional markets into cryptocurrencies, and they appear to be driving Bitcoin’s recent price increases.

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2024-08-26 19:18