Word on the Block

Dante Disparte: Bank Failure, USDC And Contagion

The recent U.S. banks fallout is a stress test for both traditional finance and digital assets but to weather the storm side by side is a powerful opportunity, says Circle Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte. Dante Disparte, the chief strategy officer and head of global policy at Circle Internet Financial, has spoken out about the need for greater collaboration between the cryptocurrency industry and banks. Circle is the co-founder and issuer of USDC, a dollar-backed stablecoin with a market capitalization of US$39.5 billion. However, the stablecoin broke its dollar peg over the weekend after it was revealed that Circle held US$3.3 billion in reserve deposits at SVB. As a result, USDC fell to as low as US$0.8774 before gaining its dollar parity on Monday. Tune in to the latest episode of Word on the Block with Forkast Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau for more.