Following some notable premiers in the genre recently, the next batch of stablecoins is on the way. A British startup is partnering with a bank to launch a GBP-pegged crypto, a Swiss commodities trader wants to mint a coin backed by metals, and a Mongolian telecom has been licensed to issue the country’s first digital currency with the same value as the national fiat.
Also read: European Regulator Renews Restrictions on Crypto-Based Derivatives
Pound-Pegged Stablecoin on the Horizon in the UK
The last couple weeks saw the arrival of new stablecoins in the crypto space. The US dollar-pegged Tether (USDT) will have to compete against two alternative cryptocurrencies boasting similar features to those that made Tether popular among traders and speculators. Gemini Dollar (GUSD) and Paxos Standard (PAX), both approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services, are ERC20 tokens backed one-to-one with US fiat currency. And both, like Tether, sparked controversy almost immediately with allegations that the authorized issuers, Gemini Trust and Paxos Trust, can freeze accounts and funds if required by the law.
Several new announcements related to stablecoin projects were made this week. UK-based OTC crypto-trader and exchange operator LBX, London Block Exchange, intends to launch a cryptocurrency pegged to the British pound. The platform revealed yesterday it had reached an agreement with a banking partner to issue the new digital currency called Lbxpeg which will be backed by reserves of British fiat money. The participating financial institution has not been revealed yet. Quoted by Business Insider, LBX CEO Benjamin Dives said, “We would be ready for the first cryptopound to be minted in the next 10 days.” He added that the reserves underpinning the coin will be audited by a leading
