In a recent move aimed at safeguarding against potential market turbulence due to the U.S. debt ceiling showdown, stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial has completely divested from U.S. Treasury bonds in its USD Coin (USDC) backing reserves. This shift is seen as a precautionary measure, and as of May 30, the Circle Reserve Fund, under the management of global investment giant BlackRock, was holding all of its $24 billion of assets under management in overnight repurchase (repo) agreements.
Comparatively, at the end of April, Circle’s reserves contained over $30 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds, according to the company’s monthly attestation. As of now, the last Treasury bond in the fund, worth $4 billion, has matured. This change towards overnight repo agreements has resulted from Circle’s concerted effort to protect their $29 billion USDC stablecoin from any potential fallout arising from disruptions in the bond market while lawmakers in the United States scramble to avoid a government default.
Back in early May, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire announced that the company would no longer hold Treasury bonds in their reserves that mature beyond the end of the month, thus paving the way for USDC’s stabilization. Concurrently, Circle’s reserve fund began replacing maturing bonds with overnight repurchase agreements throughout the month.
However, skeptics might argue that moving away from Treasury bonds may not provide complete protection against market volatility. After all, overnight repurchase agreements also carry some degree of risk. It remains to be seen if this decision will have the desired effect of insulating Circle’s USDC from any adverse impacts resulting from a potential U.S. government default.
The ongoing debate over the debt ceiling and the ability of the U.S. government to issue new debt continues to rattle markets and elicit uncertainty among investors. On Wednesday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that could potentially raise the government’s ability to issue new debt. The outcome of this vote will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for not only the cryptocurrency industry but the global financial ecosystem as a whole.
In conclusion, Circle’s recent move to ditch U.S. Treasury bonds in favor of overnight repurchase agreements for its USDC backing reserves can be seen as a strategic decision to shield the stablecoin from potential turbulence in the bond market. However, whether this strategy will prove effective in mitigating all risks associated with the ongoing U.S. debt ceiling showdown remains to be seen. Investors and market observers are closely monitoring the situation, awaiting further developments.
Source: Coindesk
