On October 2, 2023, Bitfinex initiated two significant transfers totaling 100 million Tether (USDT) to the Tether Treasury address, as reported by the monitoring service, Whale Alert. These two transfers, which were almost simultaneous, took place only two minutes apart.
Analytical data provided by CryptoQuant shows a noticeable dip in stablecoin holdings across exchanges since November 2022. This decline came after a remarkable influx of such coins, especially USDT, into crypto exchanges early in 2021, marking an unprecedented peak in their holdings.
Members of the online crypto community on platform X, previously known as Twitter, were quick to respond to these hefty transfers. Many suggest these moves can be seen as a 'pump', a tactic used to attract more investors to buy a specific asset.
Shedding light on the market's dynamics, Santiment, a market intelligence firm, highlighted on September 29 that influential Tether stakeholders, often referred to as "sharks" or "whales", are consolidating their buying capacity – an action typically seen as a positive market indicator.
Drawing from their research, Cointelegraph points out a consistent 17-month decline in stablecoins, hinting that many investors might be pivoting back to traditional assets.
Highlighting concerns, the United States Federal Reserve expressed reservations about these assets on September 28, suggesting that stablecoins could become a potential instability factor in the financial market. The institution further explained that these assets might be at risk during widespread market disruptions or unique stress incidents.
Stablecoins have been at the forefront of numerous legal discussions, particularly with the ongoing case of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against Binance. In one such instance, Circle, the issuer of USD Coin (USDC), defended the stance that stablecoins shouldn't be classified as securities.
Interestingly, 2023 witnessed an uptick in loans based on Tether's USDT, indicating its persistent relevance in the market.
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