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Contrary to fears of destabilizing banks, stablecoins are a net positive for government finances. As their market cap grows, so does their need for backing assets like short-term government bonds. This makes the stablecoin industry a major, growing buyer of government debt, increasing demand for US Treasuries.
The U.S. is approving stablecoins for a strategic reason: they require reserves, which must be U.S. treasuries. This policy creates a massive, new, non-traditional buyer for government debt, helping to finance enormous and growing fiscal deficits with a structural source of demand.
By creating a regulatory framework that requires private stablecoins to be backed 1-to-1 by U.S. Treasuries, the government can prop up demand for its ever-increasing debt. This strategy is less about embracing financial innovation and more about extending the U.S. dollar's lifespan as the global reserve currency.
The US government's backing of stablecoins is a strategic financial maneuver, not just a nod to crypto innovation. By promoting stablecoins backed by US Treasuries, it creates a new, frictionless global distribution channel to sell its debt at attractive rates to a worldwide audience.
To extend the solvency of U.S. debt, create a one-to-one stablecoin backed by treasuries. This would grant global citizens, particularly in countries with unstable currencies, a direct way to save in a dollar-denominated asset. This new demand could lengthen the runway for U.S. fiscal policy.
By making T-bill-backed assets easily accessible to retail investors worldwide via smartphones, stablecoins could unlock a massive new pool of capital. This would create trillions in indirect demand for US Treasury paper, helping to finance US debt at lower rates while simultaneously advancing US geopolitical goals.
The US is embracing stablecoins to maintain the dollar's global dominance. By enabling easy access to digital dollars worldwide, it creates new, decentralized demand for US treasuries to back these stablecoins, offsetting reduced purchasing from foreign central banks.
In a novel attempt to delay a debt crisis, policymakers are pushing for regulations that would force stablecoin issuers to back their digital dollars one-to-one with U.S. Treasuries. This cleverly creates a new, captive international market for government debt, helping to prop up the system.
The US government views stablecoins favorably because they increase global demand for the US dollar and, by extension, US treasuries. This digital dollarization serves as an economic check on other countries, particularly those with high inflation, by giving their citizens an exit from local currency.
As foreign central banks' demand for U.S. debt wanes, the rapidly growing stablecoin market has emerged as a major buyer. By backing tokens with U.S. Treasuries, issuers like Tether and Circle have created a powerful new demand vector, surpassing countries like Saudi Arabia and Germany.
For stablecoin companies like Tether seeking legitimacy in the US market, the simplest path is to back their assets with US treasuries. This aligns their interests with the US government, turning a potential adversary into a welcome buyer of national debt, even if it means lower returns compared to riskier assets.