Ethena Rolls Out Stablecoin Backed by BlackRock’s BUIDL Token

Red-hot decentralized finance (DeFi) project Ethena said Monday it is rolling out its new stablecoin that aims to help stabilize the protocol’s flagship USDe token when crypto markets turn bearish.

The USDtb token aims to keep a steady $1 price and holds 90% of its reserves in BUIDL, the tokenized money market fund issued by asset management behemoth BlackRock and tokenization firm Securitize.

“In light of the rapidly accelerating demand for different stablecoin options, we saw a clear opportunity to provide a new product that offers users an entirely different risk profile from USDe without them having to leave our trusted ecosystem,” Ethena founder Guy Young said in a statement.

Ethena is one of the fastest-growing DeFi platforms this year, attracting nearly $6 billion of user funds since its public launch in early 2024. The protocol’s flagship token USDe, marketed as a “synthetic dollar” with a steady $1 price, generates yield to investors by shorting bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and solana (SOL) perpetual swaps and farming the funding rates. This investment strategy offers lofty yields – currently 27% annualized – when crypto markets are in bull mode, but can quickly turn unprofitable when things turn bearish with persistently negative funding rates.

The new offering will allow Ethena close the underlying derivatives positions behind USDe and divert the backing assets to USDtb during periods of negative funding rates and mitigating risks, the Ethena team explained.

The protocol also aspires to get USDtb accepted as collateral in the future for margin trading on centralized exchanges.