Initial evidence on the content and market implications of stablecoin reserve reporting

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies intended to maintain consistent value against a reference asset (e.g., pegged 1:1 to the US dollar). Their rapid adoption in the absence of federal regulation has raised concerns about the risks they pose to financial markets. In this study, we describe the evolving stablecoin ecosystem and explore the content and market implications of stablecoin reserve reporting. We hand-collect reserve reports issued since 2018 by the largest US dollar-backed stablecoins and develop a transparency index that captures the extent to which disclosures address the sufficiency of issuer assets available for redemption. We find that reserve report transparency varies across stablecoins and over time. Additionally, after enactment of the first state-level reserve report disclosure regulation in 2022, transparency increases for both coins subject and not subject to this regulation. Lastly, despite the relative nascency of the stablecoin marketplace and the reserve report as a disclosure medium, we find that reserve report transparency is associated with greater stablecoin price stability and higher stablecoin adoption (i.e., market capitalization). These effects are pronounced in periods of cryptocurrency market volatility. This early evidence suggests that reserve reporting serves a valuable function in the stablecoin ecosystem.