1. Understanding Collateralization Rates
2. Sun’s Reassurances on USDD’s Stability
3. Shift in USDD’s Collateral Composition

On Wednesday, the Tron DAO Reserve, which oversees the USDD stablecoin, removed 12,000 Bitcoins worth $732 million from its collateral backing. This move has led to concerns about the stability and decentralization of USDD, a stablecoin governed by the Tron DAO Reserve.

Understanding Collateralization Rates

Collateralization rate is a measure of the value of assets backing a stablecoin relative to its issuance. Justin Sun, founder of Tron, has attempted to address these concerns by providing context around the collateralization practices of USDD. According to USDD’s transparency page, the current collateralization ratio stands at approximately 230%. This means the value of the assets backing USDD is more than twice the value of the stablecoin in circulation. Sun compared USDD’s mechanisms to MakerDAO’s DAI, another popular decentralized stablecoin. He highlighted that USDD’s system allows for the free withdrawal of collateral when it exceeds the required amount, and necessitates additional collateral or liquidation if it falls below a certain threshold.

Sun’s Reassurances on USDD’s Stability

Sun acknowledged that the capital utilization of USDD is not highly efficient but emphasized that the long-term collateralization rate is robust. He stated: 'Currently, USDD has a long-term collateralization rate exceeding 300%, which means that the capital utilization is not very efficient.' Sun also noted that the Tron DAO Reserve plans to upgrade USDD to enhance its competitiveness in the decentralized stablecoin market.

Shift in USDD’s Collateral Composition

The recent removal of Bitcoin from USDD’s collateral has altered the composition of its backing assets. The stablecoin is now primarily supported by Tether (USDT) and TRX. The transparency page of USDD shows that it holds $1.7 billion worth of TRX and USDT, providing a collateralization ratio of over 230%. This new backing structure contrasts with other stablecoins in the market. For instance, DAI is collateralized at around 120%, while major players like USDT and USD Coin (USDC) maintain a 100% collateralization ratio.

USDD’s journey has been bumpy. Initially, it was undercollateralized, meaning its backing assets were less than the total USDD in circulation. Following the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin in 2022, USDD transitioned to an overcollateralized model to enhance stability. However, critics argue that despite the stablecoin’s management by a DAO, significant changes like the Bitcoin withdrawal have occurred without apparent community approval.