Bitcoin Plunged Threefold Against Trump's Stablecoin on Binance Exchange

RBK-cryptoPublished on 2025-12-25Last updated on 2025-12-25

Abstract

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly plummeted to $24,111 against the USD1 stablecoin on Binance on December 24, a drop of more than two-thirds compared to its market price on other trading pairs. The flash crash occurred over one minute before quickly recovering to around $87,700, aligning with Bitcoin’s global market rate. The incident took place hours after Binance launched a promotional campaign offering 20% rewards for USD1 holders. Following the announcement, USD1’s market cap surged by over $200 million, and trading volume increased sevenfold to more than $2.1 billion. Low liquidity and reduced trading activity during quiet hours may have contributed to the volatility. USD1 is issued by World Liberty Financial (WLF), backed by Donald Trump’s family, and operates similarly to major stablecoins like USDT and USDC. With a market cap nearing $3 billion, it is one of the largest in its category. Although Binance and WLF deny formal ties, USD1 was built using Binance’s codebase, initially launched on BNB Chain, and promoted in Binance fee-free campaigns. Over 55% of USD1 in circulation remains in Binance wallets. The stablecoin was also used in a $2 billion deal involving UAE fund MGX’s acquisition of a stake in Binance in early 2025.

"RBC-Crypto" does not provide investment advice; the material is published for informational purposes only. Cryptocurrency is a volatile asset that may lead to financial losses.

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) against the dollar-pegged stablecoin USD1 briefly dropped to $24,111, which is more than three times lower than the current price of Bitcoin in other trading pairs against dollar-denominated assets. The drop and subsequent recovery to previous levels occurred within a minute, exclusively on the Binance exchange in the BTC/USD1 pair on December 24.

As of 11:05 Moscow time on December 25, the BTC/USD1 rate on Binance is around $87.7 thousand, which corresponds to the market rate in other trading pairs and on other platforms. Over the past 24 hours, the price of BTC has remained virtually unchanged.

The drop occurred several hours after the exchange launched a bonus program for USD1 holders on the platform, offering a 20% return on deposits in the stablecoin.

Approximately 24 hours after the program's launch, by December 25, the stablecoin's market capitalization had increased by over $200 million, and trading volume was seven times higher than at the time of the bonus program's announcement: by December 25, it exceeded $2.1 billion. The majority of the volume is concentrated on Binance—around $500 million, according to Coingecko.

Such sharp price fluctuations are often caused by low liquidity and can be exacerbated by fewer active traders during quiet hours. It also happens that such movements turn out to be display errors on the exchange. The exchange has not publicly commented on the volatility spike.

USD1 is issued by the World Liberty Financial (WLF) project, supported by the family of former U.S. President Donald Trump. This stablecoin operates on the classic business model of the largest stablecoins by market capitalization in the crypto market—USDT by Tether and USDC by Circle. USD1 is among the largest on the market with a market capitalization of nearly $3 billion.

It is also known that the codebase for USD1 was written by the team of the largest crypto exchange, Binance. Although the exchange's founder, Changpeng Zhao, and WLF representatives have denied any connection between the projects, the stablecoin was initially launched exclusively on BNB Chain (BNB, the exchange-affiliated blockchain network) and was included in the exchange's promotional campaign with zero fees.

In the spring of 2025, USD1 was used in a $2 billion deal: the UAE-based fund MGX acquired a stake in Binance. Over 55% of the issued USD1 (approximately $1.7 billion) is still held in Binance wallets.

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