{"id":9274,"date":"2026-06-22T04:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T02:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/glossary\/technical-terms\/stablecoin\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T05:30:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T03:30:31","slug":"stablecoin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/technical-terms\/stablecoin\/","title":{"rendered":"Stablecoin"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.pterm{max-width:880px;margin:0 auto;font-family:inherit;padding-top:30px;}.pterm-hero{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a2e,#2d2d4a);border-radius:18px;padding:30px 34px;margin-bottom:28px;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:18px;flex-wrap:wrap;}.pterm-hero .ph-ico{width:56px;height:56px;border-radius:13px;background:rgba(245,135,31,.16);display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;flex-shrink:0;}.pterm-hero h1{color:#fff;font-size:1.9em;margin:0;line-height:1.2;}.pterm-block{margin-bottom:24px;}.pterm-block h2{color:#1a1a2e;font-size:1.25em;margin:0 0 10px;}.pterm-def{background:#fff;border-left:4px solid #f5871f;border-radius:0 12px 12px 0;padding:18px 22px;color:#444;line-height:1.7;box-shadow:0 2px 10px rgba(0,0,0,.04);}.pterm-p{color:#444;line-height:1.7;margin:0 0 14px;}.pterm-ex{background:#fff7ef;border-radius:12px;padding:18px 22px;color:#5a4630;line-height:1.7;}.pterm-ex .lbl{display:inline-block;font-size:.72em;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#f5871f;margin-bottom:6px;}.pterm-see{background:#f7f7fb;border-radius:12px;padding:16px 22px;color:#444;line-height:1.7;}.pterm-see .lbl{display:inline-block;font-size:.72em;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#9a9aae;margin-bottom:6px;}.pterm-see a{color:#f5871f;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;}.pterm a{color:#f5871f;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;}<\/style>\n<p><a class=\"pterm-back\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; margin: 0 0 18px; padding: 9px 16px; background: #fff7ee; border: 1px solid #f3d9b8; border-radius: 999px; color: #e08a1e; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"\/en\/glossary\/technical-terms\/\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px; line-height: 1;\">\u2190<\/span>Back to Technology and terms<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pterm\">\n<div class=\"pterm-hero\">\n<div class=\"ph-ico\"><\/div>\n<h1>Stablecoin<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<div class=\"pterm-def\">A stablecoin holds a fixed value, usually pegged to an ordinary currency such as the euro or the dollar. Because the price stays stable, stablecoins are often used to move value quickly. They appear regularly in fraud cases, because fraudsters can use them to move stolen funds without being affected by price swings.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>What is a stablecoin?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">A stablecoin is a crypto coin that ties its value to an underlying value, for example one dollar per coin. Well-known examples are USDT and USDC. The peg is maintained with reserves or with rules built into the software. As a result a stablecoin behaves differently from, say, bitcoin, whose price can move sharply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>Why do fraudsters often use stablecoins?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">Because the value stays stable, fraudsters can move amounts without the risk of the price falling in the meantime. Stablecoins are also fast and easy to send on many platforms, which makes them attractive for funnelling money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>What is a stablecoin?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">A crypto coin that aims to hold a fixed value, usually pegged to the euro or the dollar. The peg is maintained by an issuer, not by the market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>Is a stablecoin always stable?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">Not by itself. The stability depends on the backing and on confidence in the issuer. There are examples of stablecoins that lost their peg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>Can a stablecoin be frozen?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">With several types the issuer can freeze a balance. That happens at the request of an authorised body. We make no commitments about it and only describe what is technically possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>Why do stablecoins appear so often in fraud?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">Because a fixed amount looks clear and the victim sees no exchange rate risk. That makes the story easier to tell and the deposit larger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<h2>Why these coins turn up in so many routes<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">Value that stays roughly stable is convenient for exactly the same reasons on both sides of a case. Someone moving proceeds does not want to watch them fall while a route is being laid, and someone paying out wants a figure that still means something a week later. That is why so many fraud routes pass through such a coin at some point, usually in the stretch between a first deposit and a cash-out. For an investigation this is helpful rather than obstructive: the amounts stay comparable, so a route can be described in figures that a reader recognises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">There is a second feature that matters more than it looks. Because most of these coins are issued by an identifiable party rather than by an open network, that issuer can in principle freeze specific holdings at the request of an authority. Whether that happens depends on the issuer, the jurisdiction and the speed of the request, and it is not something anyone should promise in advance. What it does mean is that reporting quickly and precisely can occasionally do more here than on a network where nobody is in a position to intervene at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pterm-p\">In a report we therefore note the issuer alongside the amount and the network, because those three together determine who could act if anyone can. Leaving the issuer out makes a route look more anonymous than it is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-block\">\n<div class=\"pterm-src\" style=\"background: #f4f6fb; border-radius: 12px; padding: 18px 22px; color: #3a4152; line-height: 1.7; margin: 22px 0 8px;\"><span class=\"lbl\" style=\"display: inline-block; font-size: .72em; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: .08em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #5a6b8c;\">External source<\/span><span style=\"display: block; margin-top: 8px;\">Europol describes laundering as a process of layering transfers to separate proceeds from their origin, and treats following the money as central to disrupting it. Coins designed to hold a steady value fit neatly into that layering, which is why balances arriving from such a route attract attention at the point where they meet a regulated party. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europol.europa.eu\/crime-areas\/criminal-finances-and-money-laundering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Europol: criminal finances and money laundering<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pterm-see\">\n<p><span class=\"lbl\">See also<\/span><\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/tracing-transactions\/exchange\/\">Exchange<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/tracing-transactions\/tracing-crypto\/\">Tracing crypto<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/tracing-transactions\/cash-out-point\/\">Cash-out point<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/technical-terms\/blockchain-transaction\/\">Blockchain transaction<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 8px;\"><span class=\"lbl\">Related topic<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/topics\/crypto-fraud-investigation\/\">crypto fraud investigation<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:8px;\"><span class=\"lbl\">Frequently asked question<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/questions\/can-stolen-crypto-be-traced\/\">Can stolen crypto be traced and what does that achieve?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"DefinedTerm\",\"name\":\"Stablecoin\",\"description\":\"A stablecoin is a crypto coin with a fixed value, usually pegged to the euro or the dollar.\",\"inDefinedTermSet\":{\"@type\":\"DefinedTermSet\",\"name\":\"Glossary\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/glossary\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a stablecoin?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A crypto coin that aims to hold a fixed value, usually pegged to the euro or the dollar. 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[&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":8865,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9274","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9274"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14404,"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9274\/revisions\/14404"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paucitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}