Ethena announced today that it’s developing a new stablecoin called UStb, which invests its reserves in BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL).
Its the second stablecoin from Ethena, as earlier this year it launched USDe, a synthetic stablecoin that derives its value from the cash-and-carry trade, an arbitrage strategy between an asset and its derivative to maintain its $1 peg.
In a blog post, the team explained that UStb will be a “wholly independent product” with a different risk profile compared to USDe.
The team also wrote that UStb helps USDe manage risk during tough markets by allowing Ethena’s governance to reallocate backing assets to UStb when needed.
USDe has brought about some concern from industry stakeholders who say that while the trade is safe, volatility in the markets – which crypto is known for – can quickly cause it to unwind.
In a thread on X, the team addressed some of these concerns, pointing out that while USDe has remained stable despite recent bearish conditions, it can dynamically adjust its backing between basis positions and liquid stable products and may incorporate UStb during periods of weak funding rates if needed.
Ethena said in the post that UStb will be listed on centralized exchanges like Bybit, Bitget, and any future exchanges that Ethena partners with, where USDe is already used as margin collateral.
More details on UStb will be available in the coming weeks, Ethena said.
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