What are Stable Coins? USDT, TUSD, GUSD, USDC and USDQ
In this article, Slava Mikhalkin talks about USDQ, a fully algorithmic stablecoin that offers reliability and easy collateralization for Bitcoin. Working as a Blockchain Architect with PLATINUM ENGINEERING, Slava collaborates within the +200-employee team to develop bleeding edge solutions in white-label wallets, STOs and IEOs fundraising platforms, and full-cycle business models for crypto projects. A key value proposition, brought by PLATINUM ENGINEERING, is a holistic approach, where a versatile talent pool helps startups build up capabilities in IT, marketing and legal. A unique decentralized stablecoin USDQ features various price stabilization algorithms, an intricate system of incentives for traders and AI-driven predictive analytics module. This novel stablecoin is worth noting while it’s still gathering steam.
Foreword
It's clear that cryptocurrencies are gradually making inroads into the global economy, moving closer to mass adoption. Cryptocurrencies offer a number of advantages - decentralization and trust, lower commissions and disintermediation - that make it easier for users to carry out their daily transactions. Anybody can transfer value around the globe, winning from fast processing time.
In comparison, sending value across borders via legacy financial systems requires lengthy waiting periods and fees, while also making users stuck into highly complex processes. For instance, if a person from Japan wants to send some money to England, the fees can range anywhere from 5% up to 10%, depending on the system being used. In addition, there will be some currency conversion fees. It seems that centralized players, currently enjoying lack of competition, set up fees and commissions just as they wish.
And it's merchants that carry out cross-border transactions that find working with legacy finance institutions most troublesome. They keep losing hefty chunks from their potential profits, just paying out fees to payment processors. This makes businesses hike up their prices, passing these expenses to ordinary consumers. Crypto offers a paradigm shift change, bringing to the table lightning speeds and lower fees. Although cryptocurrencies have been winning more and more attention from merchants worldwide, there's still a number of roadblocks to wider adoption, among which are price volatility, scalability limitations and others.
Volatility is admittedly the biggest hurdle that prevents businesses from using cryptocurrencies more. Bitcoin can experience huge fluctuations in just a matter of hours or even minutes. In addition, major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum present scalability issues, which results in high processing time. A merchant, who has to handle hundreds of payments on a daily basis, would not be able to conduct their business efficiently if transactions get stuck for days on end. On top of that, it's extremely hard for adopters to convert cryptocurrencies into fiat via the banks and other financial agents they usually work with.
Cryptocurrencies seek to offer solutions to all of these issues.
What is stablecoin?
A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency, whose architecture enables its price to always equal the price of another asset. Most of the stablecoins are pegged to USD. The biggest names in cryptocurrencies are Tether, Gemini Dollar, USDQ, TUSD and others.
How do stablecoins manage to be so stable?
As opposed to other coins that float freely, stable cryptocurrencies require that each unit is backed with a unit of the fiat currency. For instance, Tether (USDT) pegs 1 USDT to 1 USD on the one-to-one basis. In this way, stablecoins are somewhere between cryptocurrencies and regular fiats. Tether is based on its own blockchain that is built on top of Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum systems.
Although Tether is the biggest stablecoin, there's a number of concerns as to its operations. The biggest one is the continuing controversy as to the fiat reserves, which the issuer is supposed to store on the one-to-one ratio to the number of issued Tether units. The company has been saying that the audit will be done in the near future, but just several weeks ago it started to claim that it's not only the cash, but also loans to other companies that can be recorded as fiat reserves. These statements resulted in growing distrust among crypto enthusiasts.
Another project is TrueUSD (TUSD). It also pegs to USD. The difference with Tether is the openness to audits and transparency. The company is open to third-party audits, it publishes the duly verified reports on the fiat reserves it holds. In addition, users enjoy legal protections.
USDC is another stablecoin that was created by the famous cryptocurrency exchange Circle. Just as TUSD, if offers regulatory compliance and transparency. The big problem about all these systems is the fact that they enable authorities to seize users’ funds, which completely negates the very idea of decentralization and anti-censorship, on which crypto is built.
USDQ is different from other stablecoins as it's not backed by the fiat currency, but by Bitcoin and other top-10 cryptocurrencies in the future. This enables the ecosystem to avoid dealing with legacy financial systems. Through the overcollateralization process, USDQ turns highly volatile cryptocurrencies into the USD-pegged USDQ that is perfect for storing value and processing transactions in the external economy without any risk of price changes. The coin is being developed by PLATINUM ENGINEERING with the small community slowly growing around the project.
Why do we need stablecoins?
Stablecoins have advanced as a new iteration on cryptocurrencies, enabling to address such issues as high volatility and interactions with legacy financial systems.
Coins like USDQ make sure that various mechanisms are used in order to stabilize the prices at the USD peg. Traders can easily change their Bitcoins into USDQ and thus prevent the negative impact on unwanted prices changes. Stablecoins are very easy to use, which is a boon for non-techy adopters. Any person from around the world can quickly convert fiats into stablecoins, without any need to think about future price changes and without worrying about potential risks for losing their funds. As a rule, you'll always find various stablecoins on crypto exchanges, enabling traders to quickly move around stables and other cryptos.
As we've spoken above, cross-border payments win most from using the stablecoins. This hybrid species between fiat and crypto will help open up the hidden value in global trade, amounting to trillions of dollars in profits for stakeholders.
USDQ is decentralized stablecoin, which uses algorithms to offer higher stability and reliability. Fully on-chain and monitored by high-speed AI robots, ecosystem offers reliable defences against malicious acts and attacks. First run in line of fiat-pegs, USDQ is brought by PLATINUM ENGINEERING Team, looking to edge together innovative solutions in collateralization, using stabilizing mechanisms and oracles for high-endurance stablecoins. Fully anonymous, USDQ breaks limits out of this legacy world.
PLATINUM ENGINEERING openly shares about its development and vectors for growth, enabling stakeholders to learn about cutting-edge solutions in the blockchains/crypto domain. PLATINUM ENGINEERING has already helped over 150 crypto projects to grow through emerging blockchain economy of the future. Businesses would be amazed at new capabilities they can obtain through tokenizing their business models, automating routine business processes and drawing investors on crypto markets. The team welcomes the community to contact directly via the official groups in Telegram, Facebook or LinkedIn. Readers will learn how to obtain new competitive advantages by tapping into blockchain in their blog.
Azed players, currently enjoying lack of competition, set up fees and commissions just as they wish.
And it's merchants that carry out cross-border transactions that find working with legacy finance institutions most troublesome. They keep losing hefty chunks from their potential profits, just paying out fees to payment processors. This makes businesses hike up their prices, passing these expenses to ordinary consumers. Crypto offers a
What are Stable Coins? USDT, TUSD, GUSD, USDC and USDQ
7In this article, Slava Mikhalkin talks about USDQ, a fully algorithmic stablecoin that offers reliability and easy collateralization for Bitcoin. Working as a Blockchain Architect with PLATINUM ENGINEERING, Slava collaborates within the +200-employee team to develop bleeding edge solutions in white-label wallets, STOs and IEOs fundraising platforms, and full-cycle business models for crypto projects. A key value proposition, brought by PLATINUM ENGINEERING, is a holistic approach, where a versatile talent pool helps startups build up capabilities in IT, marketing and legal. A unique decentralized stablecoin USDQ features various price stabilization algorithms, an intricate system of incentives for traders and AI-driven predictive analytics module. This novel stablecoin is worth noting while it’s still gathering steam.
Foreword
It's clear that cryptocurrencies are gradually making inroads into the global economy, moving closer to mass adoption. Cryptocurrencies offer a number of advantages - decentralization and trust, lower commissions and disintermediation - that make it easier for users to carry out their daily transactions. Anybody can transfer value around the globe, winning from fast processing time.
In comparison, sending value across borders via legacy financial systems requires lengthy waiting periods and fees, while also making users stuck into highly complex processes. For instance, if a person from Japan wants to send some money to England, the fees can range anywhere from 5% up to 10%, depending on the system being used. In addition, there will be some currency conversion fees. It seems that centrali paradigm shift change, bringing to the table lightning speeds and lower fees. Although cryptocurrencies have been winning more and more attention from merchants worldwide, there's still a
number of roadblocks to wider adoption, among which are price volatility, scalability limitations and others.
Volatility is admittedly the biggest hurdle that prevents businesses from using cryptocurrencies more. Bitcoin can experience huge fluctuations in just a matter of hours or even minutes. In addition, major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum present scalability issues, which results in high processing time. A merchant, who has to handle hundreds of payments on a daily basis, would not be able to conduct their business efficiently if transactions get stuck for days on end. On top of that, it's extremely hard for adopters to convert cryptocurrencies into fiat via the banks and other financial agents they usually work with.
A
The author: Vyacheslav Mikhalkin, IT Manager and blockchain architect in Platinum Engineering
What are Stable Coins? USDT, TUSD, GUSD, USDC and USDQ
USDQ is decentralized stablecoin, which uses algorithms to offer higher stability and reliability. Fully on-chain and monitored by high-speed AI robots, ecosystem offers reliable defences against malicious acts and attacks. First run in line of fiat-pegs, USDQ is brought by PLATINUM ENGINEERING Team, looking to edge together innovative solutions in collateralization, using stabilizing mechanisms and oracles for high-endurance stablecoins. Fully anonymous, USDQ breaks limits out of this legacy world.
PLATINUM ENGINEERING openly shares about its development and vectors for growth, enabling stakeholders to learn about cutting-edge solutions in the blockchains/crypto domain. PLATINUM ENGINEERING has already helped over 150 crypto projects to grow through emerging blockchain economy of the future. Businesses would be amazed at new capabilities they can obtain through tokenizing their business models, automating routine business processes and drawing investors on crypto markets. The team welcomes the community to contact directly via the official groups in Telegram, Facebook or LinkedIn. Readers will learn how to obtain new competitive advantages by tapping into blockchain in their blog.
What Is USDQ and Q DAO? Complete Guide from PLATINUM ENGINEERING
Mihaill Kudryashev, a Front-end engineer at PLATINUM ENGINEERING, wrote this article while seeking to raise awareness about USDQ, a stablecoin his team is helping to develop. Among the biggest benefits, USDQ brings full decentralization and predictive capabilities. Soon there will be even more fully backed stable coins: JPYQ, KRWQ, SGDQ, HKDQ, CNYQ, RUBQ under Q DAO governance. Slowly learning more about blockchains, Mihail has been effective in transforming vague ideas into effective front-end solutions with strong UI/UX. Within his team, he’s helped many crypto startups to make their voice heard throughout the emerging global crypto community. In this article, Mihail looks into the key benefits that users win from using USDQ.
USDQ brings stability, with no need to engage legacy finance
How do USDQ and Q DAO coins work within the ecosystem?
USDQ is decentralized stablecoin, which uses algorithms to offer higher stability and reliability. It's backed by Bitcoin (another top 10 cryptocurrencies will be added in future). The elegant system places all transactions on the blockchain and empower users to execute cross-border and disintermediated transactions at any time and from any place. It's pegged to the value of USD, i.e. 1 USDQ always equals 1 USD. The ecosystem's design borrows heavily from fractional banking systems. In the nutshell, USDQ is a customer-facing stablecoin and Q DAO is an internal "operational" coin; together they help create a stabilized safe haven for anybody who's looking to hedge against rampant volatility of crypto markets.
Introduction to Q DAO and USDQ
There's a number of factors that prevent mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. The biggest factor among this is high volatility, seen in crypto. Bitcoin, the oldest and most popular coin, has been fluctuating with prices oscillating between 20,000 and 3,500 in just one year of 2018. No potential adopters, be it merchants or individuals, would be happy with suffering huge losses that such drastic changes can entail. And it's this high volatility that USDQ is set to address, bringing stability and convenience.
Tether (USDT) is probably the most well-known and widely used stablecoin. However, it has been embroiled in various controversies from the very start with no end to these in sight. Although the system is supposed to assure the 1-to-1 fiat reserves for all Tether units created, the website content has been recently changed to say that the issuer views not only cash in the bank, but also various loans to other companies, as the reserves. Both regulators and crypto enthusiasts have voiced concerns, which might bode ill for Tether in the months to come.
USDQ works differently. Here, the stablecoin is pegged to US Dollar and backed by Bitcoin (+top 10 other cryptocurrencies in future). It's similar to lending operations and fractional banking systems. Overcollateralization is used to mitigate potential unexpected changes in assets prices.
The USDQ ecosystem is highly transparent as all of the operations are recorded on the immutable Ethereum blockchain, open to review by anybody and at any time. The smart contracts bring automation to business processes and eliminate the need for middlemen to assure trust and prevent abuse.
In order to determine how viable USDQ will be in the future, we need to discuss the two tokens used within the ecosystem.
Review of Q DAO and USDQ
Q DAO is governance token, entitles holders to participate in voting for new decisions. Importantly, holders are interested seeing Q DAO's prices growing and thus they are incentivized to thoroughly review proposals and deliver the best decisions. In this way, Q DAO imbues higher democracy and decentralization, on which many current crypto projects lag.
In addition, all the fees, charged for the system use, can be paid only in Q DAO.
In order to create USDQ, a user needs to transfer Bitcoins into a Collateralized Debt Contract (CDC). This will automatically trigger the smart contract to generate USDQ and send it to the user. In order to change USDQ back into crypto assets, users need to pay back the amount of USDQ they input and the fees, chargeable in Q DAO Tokens. Whenever this is done, USDQ is automatically destroyed and the Collateralized Debt Сontract is closed.
In addition by getting USDQ directly at the company's website, users can trade in USDQ on secondary markets. It's as easy as trading Bitcoin or Ethereum or any other coin.
Traders can store both coins in their wallets, assuring higher security. The stability and ease of use for USDQ open up wide ranges of adoption for both businesses and end consumers alike.
What makes USDQ stand apart
The main difference between projects like Tether and USDQ is complete transparency and openness in the inner workings of USDQ. All the data is easily accessible on the blockchain and there are no rumors or controversies as to the reserves held by the team, potential conflicts of interest or hidden agendas.
The CDС mechanics ensure that it's impossible to create fake units of USDQ, as smart contract can be activated only after an amount in Bitcoins is input. The development is being done completely transparent. Interested parties can review the smart contract, presented on the website. The audits and peer reviews were carried out to assure the highest quality of smart contract. The website-based scanner enables to track all the data about each and every transaction, including time, amount and collateral size.
In addition, should a "black swan" event occur, i.e. a drastic fall in Bitcoin prices, Q DAO is sold on secondary markets. Bitcoin value is liquidated to make a USDQ buyback procedure, which prevents any losses on the part of the system's users.
Additionally, PLATINUM BLOCKCHAIN ENGINEERING which is helping to develop the ecosystem is working hard to build up long-term partnerships with stakeholders in the crypto industry. The more liaisons the team wins, the better outlook for USDQ will be.
Why do we need stablecoins anyway?
Different assets produce varying levels of volatility in prices, when compared to each other. For instance, the purchasing capacity of US dollar has reduced over time with 1 USD from 1913 equaling 24 USD today (2019). This happens due to inflation 3-10% per year.
In comparison, Bitcoin almost tripled in value in 2018 and then fell down by as much. Thus, fiat currencies are more stable, when compared to cryptocurrencies.
Stablecoins don't attempt to fight inflation. Instead, coins like Tether and USDQ peg themselves to US dollar, bringing relatively higher stability to crypto trading communities. One of the most famous transactions with Bitcoin is when a pizza was bought with Bitcoin back in 2010. At that time, the pizza ended up costing just a couple of bucks, but today it costs millions. Although stablecoins continue to be impacted by inflation and exchange rates that come to them from fiats they peg themselves to, they are nowhere near the mindboggingly high volatility of crypto assets.
One of the major use cases for stablecoins like USDQ is concluding long-term contracts. For instance, when using a popular decentralized platform Augur, users can bet on the price of oil in 5-10 years. The problem is that you won't only have to account for future changes in oil prices, but also for prices in Ethereum or Bitcoin that you use to make the bet. USDQ solves this problem elegantly and without much trouble. Using it, users don't have to consider future changes in Bitcoin prices and they can concentrate on what they've come here for - betting on future events. And they don’t have to worry about technical details as it’s easy to purchase USDQ and use for trader’s purposes.
Betting industry is just one of the many use cases, where USDQ can bring benefits. It can be successfully used for any transactions done across borders and long-term financial contracts. Virtually, USDQ opens up new opportunities any time value is exchanged and volatility has a negative effect.
Bottom Line
USDQ has a high potential to democratise transactions between companies and individuals globally, bringing fast execution and low volatility. The "PLATINUM BLOCKCHAIN ENGINEERING" is working hard to enable and improve various features in order to help USDQ to take leading positions on crypto markets.
Here are the main ecosystem’s features:
USDQ is always pegged to USD 1:1. In order to come into line with as many national exchanges as possible and enter other markets, the company will issue other tokens pegged to the national currencies. For example, there will be CNYQ (for Chinese Yuan), KRWQ (for South Korean Won), as well as JPYQ (for Japanese Yen) at the early stage.
Taking into account these beneficial features, there's no question that USDQ will become a viable alternative to other fiat-backed cryptocurrencies like TUSD, USDT, GUSD, USDC etc. Competing with other stablecoins, both already operating and just being developed, PLATINUM ENGINEERING will roll out the new features and underlying tech solutions that'll help propel the coin.
USDQ is decentralized stablecoin, which uses algorithms to offer higher stability and reliability. Fully on-chain and monitored by high-speed AI robots, ecosystem offers reliable defences against malicious acts and attacks. First run in line of fiat-pegs, USDQ is brought by PLATINUM ENGINEERING Team, looking to edge together innovative solutions in collateralization, using stabilizing mechanisms for high-endurance stablecoins. Soon there will be even more fully backed stable coins: JPYQ, KRWQ, SGDQ, HKDQ, CNYQ, RUBQ under USDQ brand. Fully anonymous, USDQ breaks limits out of this legacy world.
PLATINUM ENGINEERING values your opinion and welcomes you to continue the conversation on Telegram or Facebook, where the company’s development team is always ready to help you find solutions to pressing issues. Working on projects like USDQ, Michael has gained an invaluable suite of skills and insights, enabling to roll out high-usability UI/UX with tight deadlines and lack of clear expectations as to user behaviors. The team has successfully produced white-label wallets, stand-alone fundraising platforms, as well as integrated fundraising ecosystems. Any startup looking for a reliable partner to help execute a success-story will win from a free consultation with the PLATINUM ENGINEERING team about potential solutions to their needs and issues.
This overview may not be fully exhaustive and does not assess the viability of any project, nor its team legitimacy. Readers should conduct their own due diligence before using or investing in any of the listed Stablecoins. This article represents the author’s opinions only and should not be considered investment advice. All described functionality in the article is still under development, it can be changed/processed. Please follow the updates.
