U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the U.S., has started testing the issuance of custom stablecoins on the Stellar network, according to a Tuesday announcement. Teaming up with PwC and the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) for the initiative, the bank aims to explore whether a traditional bank can safely issue programmable money on a public blockchain, according to the blog post.
U.S. Bank’s digital asset head, Mike Villano, highlighted in the blog post Stellar’s built-in ability to freeze or unwind transactions as a key feature that aligns with regulatory and compliance requirements, such as Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and transaction reversibility, critical features if banks are to adopt blockchain rails for mainstream use.
Stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies with prices anchored to a fiat currency like the U.S. dollar, are gaining traction as potential tools for faster, cheaper payments across borders. Financial institution
