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You’re used to spending your country’s currency before using crypto, right? But once you step into crypto, that familiar money disappears. Now you’re dealing with tokens like ETH or SUI that swing up and down like crazy. One day you’re up 20%, the next you’re down 15%. This volatility makes it hard to use crypto for everyday transactions or to store value reliably. What if you could use national currencies on the blockchain, too? Yes you can! They’re called stablecoins, and they’re a significant part of DeFi.

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What are Stablecoins

Stablecoins are crypto tokens that keep a steady value. They are usually tied 1:1 to a traditional currency like the US dollar (USD), euro (EUR), or others.
Stablecoins serve as the “digital dollars” of DeFi, providing price stability in a volatile crypto market.
Think of them as blockchain versions of your local cash, but programmable, global, and usable 24/7 without banks. Stablecoins let you bring the stability of your regular money into crypto. They stay pegged to national currencies, like the US dollar, while giving you all the freedom of DeFi. Some popular stablecoins:
  • USDC – Issued by Circle, pegged to USD.
  • USDT (Tether) – One of the oldest and most used stablecoins.
  • DAI – A decentralised stablecoin backed by crypto like ETH.
Centralized stablecoins can be frozen or blacklisted by their issuers. They’re not truly decentralized.
So instead of holding volatile coins, you can park your funds in stablecoins and still participate in DeFi.

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Why Stablecoins

Putting national currencies on-chain is a big deal because of the accessibility it unlocks for new use cases and solutions to traditional banking problems. Banks close on weekends. Wire transfers take days in some countries. Cross-country payments are slow and expensive. Your account may be restricted without prior notice. Stablecoins fix these. You can send money globally in seconds. No middlemen. Just wallet to wallet. Whether you’re in Lagos or Alabama, it works the same. You stay in control. Nobody can freeze your funds. You hold your keys, you hold your money. You can earn yield. Instead of earning 0.1% interest in a bank savings account, you can earn 3–10% APY by lending your stablecoins in DeFi.
  • You can pay and get paid instantly. As a freelancer, merchant, or even friend, splitting a bill, just send USDC. Fast, final, and no banking delays.
The coolest part is that you don’t need permissions, KYC, or government-issued IDs to participate.

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What can You do With Stablecoins?

Once you’ve gotten stablecoins, there’s so much you with them outside the freedom you get with payments. You can swap them directly on DEXs and convert them to any cryptocurrency or token you want. You can earn passive income on them if you use them to provide liquidity in DeFi platforms. You can use them to access stronger currencies and hedge against inflation if you’re in places like Venezuela, Nigeria, or Argentina. They’re handy for protecting your capital from crypto’s volatility. There are merchants, marketplaces, and even debit cards that accept stablecoins.
Crypto collateralized stablecoins are truly decentralized but require more capital due to over collateralization requirements.
Stablecoins are usually very liquid so they are also handy when you need to transfer money across chains.
Algorithmic stablecoins have a history of catastrophic failures (like UST/LUNA). Approach with extreme caution.
Stablecoins bring financial stability to users and crypto without losing the benefits of the crypto values.