Sofi Rolls Out Us Dollar Stablecoin Issued By Bank Subsidiary

Issued by SoFi Bank, the dollar-backed token is designed for payments and settlement across banks, fintechs and enterprise platforms.

SoFi Technologies has launched SoFiUSD, a fully reserved US dollar stablecoin issued by its banking subsidiary, SoFi Bank.

According to Thursday’s announcement, SoFiUSD is backed one-to-one by cash held by SoFi Bank, a nationally chartered and insured depository institution, and is redeemable on demand. It is designed to support low-cost settlement for banks, fintechs and enterprise platforms.

A SoFi spokesperson told Cointelegraph that SoFiUSD will initially be issued on the Ethereum network, with plans to add support to other blockchains over time.

The company said SoFiUSD can be used across a range of payment and settlement functions, including card networks, retailers, remittances through SoFi Pay and transactions on its Galileo platform, with potential use as a dollar-denominated asset in markets with volatile currencies. The stablecoin is currently live for internal settlement only.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI) is a US financial services company that offers consumer banking, lending, investing and crypto services, while its Galileo platform provides payments and financial infrastructure to fintechs and financial institutions.

The company’s share price rose by about 5% in early trading on Thursday, and has increased by over 70% in the last six months, according to Yahoo Finance data.

The news comes after SoFi launched crypto trading for its customers in November, beginning a phased rollout that includes assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).

Related: US Fed pulls guidance blocking its banks from engaging with crypto

With the passage of the GENIUS Act in July, which clarifies the regulatory framework for stablecoins in the United States, several US banks have begun exploring the use of dollar-backed digital tokens.

Source: CoinTelegraph