Backed by $28 million in funding from industry giants like Bitfinex and Tether, StableChain offers sub-second finality and protocol-level gas-exempt transfers to bridge the gap between traditional fintech and decentralized finance. As of February 2026, Stable (STABLE) is currently the #75 ranked cryptocurrency by market cap, with a market capitalization of $557.05 million and nearly 6,000 holders. The StableChain (STABLE) project is rapidly gaining traction following its successful v1.2.0 Mainnet upgrade on February 4, 2026, which solidified its position as a production-grade settlement layer by fully integrating USDT0 as the native gas token and introducing institutional-grade gas waivers for seamless user onboarding.
In this article, you will learn what the Stable protocol is, how its unique USDT-as-Gas model works, why institutional leaders are eyeing this infrastructure as the future of stablecoin payments, the utility of the STABLE governance token, and how to trade STABLE on BingX.
What Is Stable (STABLE) Layer 1 Blockchain for Stablecoins?
Stable is the first Stablechain, a specialized Layer 1 blockchain meticulously optimized for the issuance, settlement, and management of USDT. Unlike general-purpose blockchains that prioritize complex smart contracts, Stable is engineered for the real economy, focusing on high-speed, low-cost, and compliant dollar-based transactions.
In July 2025, Stable secured $28 million in seed funding co-led by Bitfinex and Hack VC, with strategic participation from Franklin Templeton, Castle Island Ventures, and Susquehanna. A key advisor to the project is Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, ensuring the network is perfectly aligned with the needs of the world’s largest stablecoin.
Stable operates through three technical pillars:
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High-Performance Consensus: Utilizing StableBFT, the network achieves sub-second block finality, making it suitable for point-of-sale retail and institutional settlement.
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Institutional-Grade Features: The protocol embeds Guaranteed Blockspace for enterprises and Confidential Transfers to protect transaction privacy while remaining regulatory-compliant.
What Is the Stable v1.2.0 Mainnet Upgrade?
The v1.2.0 Mainnet Upgrade, launched on February 4, 2026, officially transitions StableChain from its early-stage architecture to a production-grade settlement layer. By deprecating the legacy gUSDT in favor of USDT0 as the native gas token, the network has eliminated the wrap/unwrap friction, allowing users to move value and pay fees with a single asset while enabling API-managed gas waivers for seamless user onboarding.
Looking ahead, Phase 2 will focus on enterprise scalability through USDT transfer aggregators and guaranteed blockspace for institutional partners. By Q2 2026, Phase 3 aims to implement a DAG-based consensus, Autobahn, and the StableVM++ execution engine, targeting a breakthrough throughput of 10,000+ TPS to support the next generation of global fintech applications.
How Does Stable (STABLE) Blockchain Work?
How Stable network works | Source: Stable docs
Stable replaces the multi-token friction of traditional blockchains with a streamlined, single-currency experience. It follows a performance-first model that optimizes every stage of the transaction lifecycle.
1. USDT as Native Gas, the v1.2.0 Upgrade
The most significant innovation of Stable is its gas model. In a standard transaction, the protocol pre-charges the fee in USDT0 and settles the actual cost upon execution. With the v1.2.0 hard fork, the network removed the wrapping process, allowing users to send value and pay fees with the same asset. Furthermore, peer-to-peer transfers are protocol-level gas-exempt, making remittances virtually free.
2. StableBFT and DAG-Based Consensus
Currently, Stable uses StableBFT, a customized dPoS protocol, to deliver high throughput and fault tolerance. According to its 2026 roadmap, the network is transitioning to Autobahn, a DAG-based consensus architecture. This upgrade is designed to push the network toward 10,000+ TPS, eliminating single-proposer bottlenecks.
3. Optimistic Parallel Execution (OPE)
Stable employs Block-STM technology to process transactions in parallel. While legacy chains process transactions one by one, Stable assumes transactions are independent and executes them simultaneously, only re-processing them if a conflict is detected. This results in at least a 2x improvement in end-to-end processing speed.
4. Stable Pay and Web2.5 UX
To drive mainstream adoption, the Stable Pay wallet allows for social logins for Web2.5 experience and human-readable identifiers via Stable Name, replacing long, complex hexadecimal addresses with simple names.
What Is the STABLE Token Used For?
The STABLE token is the governance and security backbone of the network. While gas is paid in USDT, the STABLE token powers the underlying infrastructure.
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Validator Staking: To secure the network, validators must stake STABLE tokens. In return, they (and their delegators) receive USDT-denominated rewards collected from network gas fees.
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Protocol Governance: Holders vote on upgrades, fee structures, and the allocation of the 40% Ecosystem and Community fund.
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Enterprise Credentials: STABLE tokens can serve as a credential for institutions to access Guaranteed Blockspace, ensuring their transactions are prioritized even during peak network congestion.
Note: The total supply is fixed at 100 billion STABLE tokens, with approximately 17.6% or 17.6 billion currently in circulating supply.
What Is STABLE Tokenomics?
STABLE token emissions | Source: Stable docs
The STABLE token features a fixed total supply of 100,000,000,000 or 100 billion tokens, designed as a non-inflationary asset to align long-term interests between validators and the ecosystem.
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Ecosystem and Community (40%): Dedicated to developer grants, payment partner integrations, and user onboarding incentives to drive network growth.
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Investors and Advisors (25%): Allocated to early backers, subject to a 1-year cliff followed by a 4-year linear vesting schedule.
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Team (25%): Reserved for founding members and core contributors, ensuring long-term alignment with a 48-month vesting period and 1-year cliff.
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Genesis Distribution (10%): Fully unlocked at launch to provide immediate market liquidity and reward early supporters through airdrop events.
How to Trade Stable (STABLE) on BingX
BingX provides real-time analytics and AI-driven insights to help you navigate the STABLE market, which has recently seen a significant surge in volume.
How to Buy STABLE on the Spot Market
STABLE/USDT trading pair on the spot market powered by BingX AI insights
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Fund Your Account: Sign up on BingX and deposit USDT.
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Locate the Pair: Search for the STABLE/USDT trading pair in the Spot market.
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Execute Trade: Choose a Market or Limit order.
Leveraging STABLE on the Futures Market
STABLE/USDT perpetuals on the futures market featuring BingX AI insights
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Enable Futures: Transfer USDT to your Futures account.
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Open a Futures Position: Use leverage to trade STABLE based on short-term price movements, and go long or short on STABLE/USDT perpetuals.
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Risk Management: Set Take-Profit (TP) and Stop-Loss (SL) orders to manage risk and protect against sudden volatility.
3 Key Considerations Before Investing in Stable (STABLE)
Before investing in Stable (STABLE), it’s important to understand the key factors that can impact its price performance, risk profile, and long-term sustainability in volatile market conditions.
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USDT Dependency: Stable’s utility is deeply tied to the adoption and regulatory status of Tether (USDT). Any significant change in USDT's market position directly impacts StableChain.
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Phase 3 Execution Risk: The upcoming upgrade to DAG-based consensus (Phase 3) is a major technical hurdle. Success here is required to reach the 10,000+ TPS institutional goal.
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Governance vs. Yield: Remember that STABLE is a governance/security token. Its value is driven by network demand and staking rewards paid in USDT, not by the price of the stablecoins it carries.
Final Thoughts: Is Stable's Stablechain the Future of USDT Payments?
Stable (STABLE) is positioning itself as a specialized infrastructure layer for the global stablecoin market in 2026. By integrating USDT0 as a native gas token and introducing institutional features like guaranteed blockspace, the network aims to eliminate the technical friction typically associated with general-purpose blockchains. With strategic backing from industry leaders like Bitfinex and a technical roadmap targeting 10,000+ TPS via DAG-based consensus, the project serves as a significant case study in the transition of stablecoins from speculative assets to primary settlement rails.
However, the network’s long-term viability remains closely linked to the continued dominance and regulatory standing of the USDT ecosystem. While the v1.2.0 upgrade addresses immediate UX hurdles, the successful execution of Phase 3’s advanced consensus remains a critical milestone.
Risk Reminder: Cryptocurrency investments, especially in emerging Layer 1 infrastructure, carry high volatility and technical risks. The STABLE token is a governance and security asset, not a stablecoin; users should conduct thorough due diligence and manage exposure according to their risk tolerance.