Stablecoin

Bitcoin and the wider crypto market are facing selling pressure as stablecoin supply contracts and investors rotate into precious metals and tokenized commodities. Analysts highlight that shrinking liquidity and renewed US tariff uncertainty are capping digital asset upside until clearer policy and rate-cut signals emerge.

On Feb. 23, World Liberty Financial's USD1 slipped to $0.994 and recovered within minutes, a 0.6% deviation, according to DEX Screener. WLFI attributed the move to a "coordinated attack," while Arkham's tracking shows Binance controls roughly 93% of the about $5 billion circulating supply, concentrating peg tests on one venue.

Bloomberg Intelligence said Coinbase's stablecoin income from its USDC arrangement with Circle could increase two to seven times if payment usage accelerates. In Q4 2025, Coinbase reported a $667 million net loss but generated $1.35 billion in stablecoin revenue in 2025, as lawmakers consider curbing customer rewards.

On 24 February 2026, the White House moved closer to a compromise on stablecoin rewards, with officials aiming to resolve the issue by March 1. Sources say yield on idle balances is unlikely, while narrowly defined, activity-based incentives remain under review. Separately, the SEC now lets broker-dealers count high-quality stablecoins toward capital with a 2% discount.

Crypto venture firm Framework Ventures has partnered with mortgage provider Better on a $500 million plan to connect its loans to the Sky decentralized finance protocol. The firm has reportedly agreed to buy 10% of Better's stock for about $45 million and will support the launch of mortgage-linked tokens initially aimed at accredited investors.

Stablecoin reserves on Binance have fallen from $50.9 billion in November to $41.4 billion, a decline of 18.6% that has taken balances back to October levels. The drop comes amid a broader crypto liquidity drought and expectations that U.S. interest rates will remain unchanged in March. Binance still holds about 64% of all exchange stablecoin reserves, but analysts say a renewed inflow of stablecoins may be needed to stabilize market liquidity.

Standard Chartered's latest report reiterates its view that the stablecoin market could expand to $2 trillion by the end of 2028, up from roughly $300 billion today. The bank lowered its estimate for additional U.S. Treasury bill demand from stablecoin issuers to $800 billion–$1 trillion by 2028 and also cut its 2026 Bitcoin price target from $150,000 to $100,000.

On Monday, World Liberty Financial said hackers, short sellers, and paid influencers targeted its USD1 stablecoin and cofounder accounts in a coordinated effort. During the turbulence, its token fell about 7% and traded near $0.1089, while USD1 briefly slipped to roughly $0.994 before recovering toward $0.999.

Crypto markets opened under pressure after President Trump imposed 15% global tariffs, with US 30 down 0.55% to 49,354.5 and US Tech 100 off 0.89% to 24,790.9. Bitcoin climbed back above $66,000 toward $68,000 as Ethereum slipped 1.72%, while new SEC staff guidance applies a 2% haircut (98% recognition) to qualifying USD stablecoins.

Bitcoin fell 5% within two hours on 22 February, sending the Crypto Fear and Greed Index to 5 on Monday, a level last seen in 2019, according to Joao Wedson. Over the past month, stablecoin supply dropped from $161.19 billion to $153.75 billion as USDT dominance rose and long‑term holders distributed 244,866 BTC on 5 February, Glassnode data show.