Ethena Partners With Bybit, Is This An “Attack” On USDT And USDC?

As an experienced financial analyst, I have closely followed the developments in the crypto market, especially the stablecoin sector. The integration of USDe, a non-fiat backed synthetic dollar stablecoin issued by Ethena, with Bybit exchange is an intriguing development that has raised concerns about potential challenges to dominant stablecoins like USDT and USDC.


As an analyst, I would express it this way: In a recent post, I’ve raised concerns about the potential threat to traditional fiat-backed stablecoins like USDT and USDC, given the growing popularity of Ethena’s USDe following its integration with Bybit, a crypto exchange that supports perpetual trading.

Ethena Partners With ByBit

USDE, unlike other widely used stablecoins, doesn’t rely on fiat currency for backing. Instead, it functions as a “synthetic dollar” backed primarily by Ethereum staked derivatives and short positions placed on centralized trading platforms such as Binance.

Ethena Partners With Bybit, Is This An “Attack” On USDT And USDC?

Announcing the collaboration, Ethena, the creator of USDe, shared the news with X, expressing excitement about the agreement and its potential to revolutionize crypto trading. The company revealed that traders could generate returns on their USDe holdings, which can serve as collateral for futures contracts.

As a researcher examining Ethena’s findings, I discovered an intriguing aspect of their platform: Users have the flexibility to trade their stablecoin against cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, all without incurring any transaction fees.

Will This Reduce USDT’s Dominance?

Despite the positive outlook for ENA, the native token of Ethena, due to its new partnership, some analysts express skepticism. One criticized this development as a “direct challenge” towards more established stablecoins like USDT and USDC, which are extensively utilized in crypto perpetual trading platforms.

As a crypto investor, I’ve noticed the analyst highlighting attractive propositions Ethena presents through its Bybit integration. One allure is the yield traders can earn instead of receiving nothing when executing trades on perpetual contracts using stablecoins like USDT and USDC.

As a crypto investor, I can tell you that using USDe instead of USDT or USDC for margin comes with a significant yield. This yield, which currently hovers around 15%, is a double-digit figure that’s hard to ignore. Rather than pay funding fees, this yield can be utilized to offset these costs. With such an attractive offer on the table, it’s no wonder that USDe is expected to make a dent in the market share of USDT and USDC. In simpler terms, holding USDe provides us with “extra money” that can be used to cover funding fees. This extra incentive could potentially shift the balance in the crypto market.

Despite the impressive returns generated by the model, there are concerns about its sustainability. Some argue that it may not be able to withstand yield drops, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the $10 million Reserve Fund in preventing a potential depeg.

At present, USDT ranks third among cryptocurrencies in terms of value, following Bitcoin and Ethereum. With a market capitalization exceeding $111 billion during the given period, USDT is expected to secure its place in the top tier as crypto adoption increases and prices rebound.

Ethena Partners With Bybit, Is This An “Attack” On USDT And USDC?

Contrastingly, USDe boasts a TVL (Total Value Locked) exceeding $2.5 billion, while Ethena’s website indicates approximately 175,000 of its token holders.

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2024-05-09 04:11