One of the largest banks in France is reportedly becoming the first traditional finance (TradFi) institution to issue its very own stablecoin.
According to a new report by The Financial Times, French bank Societe Generale (SocGen) has launched its own Euro-pegged digital asset – dubbed the EUR ConVertible – on the Luxembourg-based crypto exchange platform Bitstamp.
This marks the first time a TradFi bank has ventured into the world of stablecoins, which has been dominated by crypto firms such as Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC).
As stated by Jean-Marc Stenger, chief executive of SocGen Forge, the bank’s digital assets unit, to The Financial Times,
“The crypto ecosystem is highly concentrated on a few existing stablecoins, 90% denominated in US dollars… We definitely think that there is a place for a bank in this field and there is a place for a Euro [denominated] stablecoin.”
According to Stenger, the bank hopes that EUR ConVertible will be used to settle trades involving digital bonds and assets. Stenger also notes that the stablecoin will comply with the EU’s MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Asset Regulation) laws, which are slated to take effect next year.
Furthermore, Stenger goes on to say that EUR ConVertible was designed to be compatible with different platforms and financial institutions, adding that its holders would not face exposure to the bank itself.
Recently, Societe Generale also issued the first-ever digital green bond over the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain as a means of increasing transparency and traceability surrounding ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) data.
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