Why the $172B Stablecoin Market Could Send Crypto Prices Higher

• Stablecoin market capitalization is almost back to its all-time high.
• That means there’s a lot of sidelined capital ready to be deployed when momentum picks up again, according to analyst Alice Liu.
• Liu compared stablecoins to Berkshire Hathaway’s cash holdings.

Crypto markets are sitting on a powder keg that could soon blast prices higher.

That’s according to Alice Liu, lead researcher at crypto data firm CoinMarketCap, who told CoinDesk that crypto investors should view the $172 billion stablecoin market as a huge reserve of cash ready to be deployed into cryptocurrencies the moment bitcoin (BTC) rises again and momentum picks up.

“A lot of people want to keep cash on the side – both crypto degens and institutions,” Liu said. “It’s almost similar to Warren Buffett holding cash on the side, waiting to buy at any point.”

Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm run by billionaire Buffett, reported holding nearly $277 billion in cash at the end of the second financial quarter. That’s a 46% increase from the $189 billion that it was sitting on in the first quarter.

Dry powder

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to stay at par with a government-issued currency, typically the U.S. dollar.

Some cryptocurrencies – like ether (ETH), the second largest coin by market capitalization – are still languishing way below their 2021 all-time highs, but the stablecoin market has almost regained its former strength, down just 8% from its $187 billion peak of spring 2022.

Even more striking, stablecoins account for about 50% of all value settled on public blockchains. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by value, only accounts for 25% of such transactions.

Liu said that while a portion of that capital is being used for other purposes – for example, to earn yield through DeFi protocols – the sheer size of the available liquidity meant that, if crypto prices start rising again, stablecoins will likely add fuel to the fire.

It's not just the total stablecoin market capitalization that's important, but where these tokens are located. For example, stablecoins held on crypto exchanges are easier to deploy into the market rapidly – and historical data suggests that an increase in stablecoins on exchanges tends to precede higher prices. According to CryptoQuant, stablecoins on exchanges have grown by 20% this year.

That metric has grown by 20% this year, according to data analytics firm CryptoQuant.

“This is probably going to be one of the main drivers for us in a bull market,” Liu said.