USDC
USD Coin — a major US-dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle. Each USDC is backed 1:1 by reserves of cash and short-term US government bonds. USDC is widely used in trading, DeFi, and payments.
Mike Starr
Founder, CryptoWizardTools · M.S. Organizational Management
Last reviewed: August 2026
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Stablecoin
A cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value by pegging it to a reserve asset such as the US Dollar. Examples include USDT, USDC, and DAI.
USDT
Tether — the largest US-dollar-pegged stablecoin by market cap, issued by Tether Limited. USDT is backed by reserves of cash, cash equivalents, and other assets. Its reserve transparency has historically drawn scrutiny.
Depeg
When a stablecoin loses its target value — for example, a USD-pegged stablecoin trading at $0.90 instead of $1.00. Depegs can be brief (caused by liquidity stress) or permanent (caused by a broken mechanism or lost reserves).