# Monetary Sovereignty Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Monetary Sovereignty", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Tether's New Business: Helping Small Countries Issue Stablecoins

Tether has announced a partnership with the Georgian government to issue GEL₮, a Lari-pegged stablecoin, aiming to reduce costs, accelerate settlements, and promote cross-border payments. This move is part of Tether's broader strategy to establish a replicable, standardized business of issuing sovereign currency-backed stablecoins for smaller nations, alongside its flagship USDT and other regional offerings like MXNT (Mexican Peso) and CNHT (Offshore Yuan). Georgia represents an ideal test case due to its high reliance on remittances (~15% of GDP), established digital asset regulatory framework aligned with U.S. standards, and prior engagement with Tether. The country gains accelerated internationalization of its currency by accessing Tether's global distribution network and liquidity pools, where GEL₮ can be swapped directly with assets like USDT. For Tether, the immediate financial gain from Georgia's small market is minimal. The true value lies in creating a template. Successfully navigating the compliance, reserve, and redemption processes for GEL₮ allows Tether to replicate this model swiftly for other nations with similar profiles, such as Azerbaijan or Nigeria. The deeper strategy involves subtly integrating these national currencies into an informal USDT-anchored dollar system, positioning Tether as the essential routing infrastructure. This partnership highlights a potential new model: the outsourcing of sovereign currency globalization to private stablecoin issuers. It offers smaller states a faster path to digital currency integration than developing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). However, it raises significant questions about monetary sovereignty, financial stability risks, and increased dependency on a private entity. If more countries adopt this model in the coming year, Tether could evolve from a stablecoin issuer into a unique, cross-sovereign financial infrastructure service provider.

marsbit6h ago

Tether's New Business: Helping Small Countries Issue Stablecoins

marsbit6h ago

Lagarde Says ECB Needs Tokenised Money, Not Crypto Stablecoins

ECB President Christine Lagarde argues Europe should not respond to dominant US dollar stablecoins by creating its own euro-denominated versions. Instead, she advocates for building tokenised financial infrastructure based on central bank money. Lagarde acknowledges stablecoins' growth and role in crypto settlement and cross-border payments, but identifies key risks: financial stability vulnerabilities, as shown by USDC's depegging during the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and potential disruption to monetary policy transmission in the euro area. She contends that promoting private euro stablecoins under MiCAR would offer limited benefits for the euro's international role while introducing material trade-offs. A more effective path to strengthening the euro involves deeper capital market integration and developing a safe asset base. Lagarde is constructive on the transformative potential of DLT-based market infrastructure for Europe's fragmented financial system. The ECB's strategy focuses on public solutions like the Pontes project for wholesale settlement in central bank money and the Appia roadmap for an interoperable tokenised ecosystem by 2028. The goal is to harness innovation's benefits without replicating fragile instruments from elsewhere.

bitcoinist05/08 21:30

Lagarde Says ECB Needs Tokenised Money, Not Crypto Stablecoins

bitcoinist05/08 21:30

Non-Dollar Stablecoins Are Winning the Wrong Battle

The article argues that non-USD stablecoins (euros, local currencies) create a misleading impression of challenging dollar dominance by merely changing the currency label, without altering the underlying monetary power structure. True monetary sovereignty is analyzed through three layers: 1. **Pricing Layer (most visible):** The currency unit used for pricing. Non-USD stablecoins win here, but this is a superficial, low-cost change—like changing a shop's sign without changing its ownership. 2. **Settlement Layer (most valuable):** The actual infrastructure (banking, payments, compliance, liquidity networks) through which money moves. This "plumbing" is controlled by existing players. Changing the currency flowing through these pipes doesn't change who owns them. 3. **Freeze Layer (most powerful):** The ultimate authority to freeze, blacklist, or halt transactions. This final control often remains with external entities enforcing KYC/AML and sanctions. The case of Argentina's $LIBRA token scandal is used to illustrate that such initiatives are often not genuine innovation but a symptom of a failing local currency. When a national currency loses its pricing power and trust (e.g., due to hyperinflation), external digital credit (like dollar-based or crypto narratives) rushes in to fill the void. The dependency merely shifts from traditional dollar systems to on-chain dollar networks; the underlying power dynamics remain. The conclusion is that non-USD stablecoins are expanding monetary expression but not rewriting monetary power. The real battle isn't about which currency is used for pricing, but about who controls the settlement infrastructure and the ultimate authority to freeze assets. Until that changes, "de-dollarization" remains superficial.

marsbit04/09 00:08

Non-Dollar Stablecoins Are Winning the Wrong Battle

marsbit04/09 00:08

EU pushes digital euro as dollar-backed stablecoins dominate crypto payments

The European Parliament has approved the creation of a digital euro, a significant step in advancing the central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. With a vote of 429 in favor, the move aims to counter the overwhelming dominance of U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, which account for over 90% of the global stablecoin market. The digital euro, issued by the European Central Bank, will function as legal tender and support both online and offline payments, enhancing accessibility and privacy. EU officials position the initiative as a strategic effort to reduce reliance on private, foreign-currency payment instruments and preserve monetary sovereignty. A final launch is anticipated around 2029.

ambcrypto02/10 18:08

EU pushes digital euro as dollar-backed stablecoins dominate crypto payments