CoinGecko: Commodity-Backed Stablecoins Increased Their Market Capitalization by 18.1%, Reaching $1.3B as of August 2024

Commodity-backed stablecoins have increased their market capitalization by 18.1%, reaching $1.3 billion as of August 2024, according to Coingecko. Yet, they make up only 0.8% of the total market cap of fiat-backed stablecoins.

Commodity-backed stablecoins have increased their market capitalization by 18.1%, reaching $1.3 billion as of August 2024, according to Coingecko. Yet, they make up only 0.8% of the total market cap of fiat-backed stablecoins.

Since 2014, firms such as Tether and Circle have issued tokenized currencies backed by real-world financial assets such as bank deposits and short-term notes. Users can onboard into crypto directly through these firms, converting real-world deposits into newly minted stablecoins.

Conversely, they can also redeem the stablecoins back into fiat currency. However, not all stablecoins are fully backed by tangible real-world assets. Decentralized stablecoins such as DAI and AMPL maintain their peg through mechanisms such as over-collateralization of crypto assets or rebasing, allowing stablecoins to be minted permissionlessly, while also maintaining their peg without a centralized entity, writes Coingecko.

Despite growth, these tokens need more adoption and liquidity issues.

Tether Gold (XAUT) and PAX Gold (PAXG) are prominent examples, but their trading volumes are low compared to fiat-backed stablecoins such as USDT and USDC. This hinders their broader market acceptance.

Commodity-backed stablecoins are affected by fluctuations in underlying commodity prices.

Changes in gold or other commodities impact their stability and perceived value. The regulatory landscape is also evolving, with uncertainties about storage, verification, and auditing posing risks. Recent discussions highlight the need for clearer regulatory frameworks.

Maruf Yusupov, co-founder of Deenar Gold-backed Stablecoin, commented, “For stablecoins to remain valuable, the community that backs their reserves must maintain stability. Recently, the global market has triggered volatility in several industries, with commodity prices buckling under macroeconomic trends.

When the commodities that are supposed to provide the reserve backing for stablecoins are shrinking, this will further strain the underlying tokens. According to Coingecko’s latest report, commodity-backed stablecoins soared 18.1% this year to $1.3 billion.

This confirms the steady growth of these unique tokens. To match the reported valuation of these stablecoins, issuers will need more liquid capital to top up the differences in this shrunken commodity serving as their reserve.

This is a major challenge as it can destabilize issuers' operational models and might ultimately result in unwholesome practices that can cast a bad light on these stablecoin firms”. Despite steady growth, these stablecoins face challenges that may affect their future.

Addressing market volatility, regulatory uncertainties, and liquidity issues is crucial for wider acceptance.

Top 5 Highlights of CoinGecko’s State of Stablecoins: 2024

Since 2020, the total value of the top 10 fiat-backed stablecoins has increased significantly. During the 2020-2021 bull market, it grew by 3,121.7%, rising from $5 billion at the beginning of 2020 to $181.7 billion in March 2022.

After Terra and its UST stablecoin collapsed, the stablecoin market value dropped but started to recover in November 2023. By August 2024, the total value of fiat-backed stablecoins had grown by 35.4%, reaching $161.2 billion from $119.1 billion.

The top three US stablecoins—Tether (USDT) with $114.4 billion, USDC with $33.3 billion, and Dai (DAI) with $5.3 billion—make up 94% of the total stablecoin market. USDT remains the most dominant, holding 70.3% of the market.

As of August 1, 2024, commodity-backed stablecoins were worth $1.3 billion. Tether Gold (XAUT) and PAX Gold (PAXG) make up 78% of this value, even with new coins like Kinesis and VeraOne joining. Although commodity-backed stablecoins have grown 212 times since 2020 and increased by 18.1% in 2024, they still only make up 0.8% of the fiat-backed stablecoin market.

By August 1, 2024, stablecoins made up 8.2% of the entire cryptocurrency market. In early 2020, stablecoins were much smaller, only about 2% of the global market. They grew to 6% at the beginning of the DeFi boom.

The top 10 stablecoins have 8.7 million users.

The top three—USDT, USDC, and DAI—make up 97.1% of all users. USDT has the most