Binance USD (BUSD): What You Need to Know About Binance's Stablecoin

In the ever-evolving world of crypto, stablecoins are the talk of the town. Not only do stablecoins offer a marriage between the stability of fiat currency and the decentralization of cryptocurrency, but it's also possible to earn passive income with them.

And the biggest crypto exchange on the market, Binance, created one of the most popular crypto stablecoins: Binance USD (BUSD).

Here's what you need to know about the beloved Binance branded stablecoin, Binance USD (BUSD)—from whether or not it's safe to how you can earn interest on it.

In September 2019, Binance announced that it will launch its own stablecoin in partnership with Paxos, a compliant and regulated issuer of digital assets.

Binance founder and spokesperson Changpeng Zhao stated that this new Binance USD stablecoin will be entirely backed with U.S. dollars.

Binance USD price follows the US Dollar at a 1:1 rate so Binance USD price is always $1.00 USD. The highest Binance USD price was $1.11, and the lowest BUSD price was $0.88. The stablecoin is fully backed by cash and cash equivalent reserves of USD, and those reserves sit in FDIC-insured banks. You can also purchase and redeem BUSD from its issuer, Paxos.

The Binance stablecoin is issued on several blockchains, including BNB Smart Chain and Polygon.

For starters, it's one of few stablecoins that provide a monthly audit report and enhanced discrepancy checks to legitimize its locked reserves and verify it can cover all customer deposits. Binance USD is also regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

According to Binance, 100% of reserves are held in cash equivalents. Binance’s guarantees coupled with the confidence of the Department of Financial Services is why BUSD considered to be one of the safest stablecoins on the market.

In addition to improved stability and more transparency, because it's issued by one of the largest crypto exchanges out there, it's accepted by most exchanges and major wallets and has great growth potential.

Binance USD (BUSD) fees

Binance doesn't charge any fixed fees when buying Binance USD tokens on their exchange as long as your making purchases with USD via wire transfer or your cash wallet.

There are also no trade fees when converting your stablecoins to USDT, USDC (USD Coin), PAX, or TUSD.

Binance USD (BUSD) interest rate

One of the most attractive features of stablecoins is stablecoin interest rates, which are very high and allow investors to earn money on their stablecoins by depositing them into an interest-bearing account.

Binance stablecoin interest rates are generous—by converting your USD to Binance USD and holding it on Binance, you can earn up to 15% interest.

Alternatively, platforms like Nexo also allow you to earn up to a 12% APY on various stablecoins and tokens, including Binance USD.

The act of depositing crypto into an exchange or wallet that offers interest or other rewards is called staking. This is often done with other stablecoins due to their peg and current price stability relative to other cryptocurrencies.

The inherent qualities of stablecoins make them an efficient way to exchange value.

Binance USD is one of the largest stablecoins by market cap with a 24-hour trading volume in the tens of billions. As such, Binance USD today sets the tone for helping the crypto market define what a stablecoin is and what it should be.

Price stability

BUSD price is pegged to the US dollar, serving as a stable store of value for those who want to store BUSD crypto and protect their funds from market volatility.

Liquidity 

Binance is currently the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, providing ample liquidity for Binance USD. Users can easily buy, sell, or trade BUSD for fiat currencies or other digital assets.

Interoperability

Binance USD can be accessed across many different platforms and offers quick convertability to other cryptocurrency. This means more flexibility and better utility for the end user.

High interest rates

Stablecoins like Binance USD allow for staking, lending, and borrowing. This means users can put their money to work and earn interest on their holdings. Users can stake their Binance USD on Binance or another platform better suited for higher APYs such as Beefy Finance and Autofarm.

When comparing BUSD vs USDT, they're similar in that they're both pegged to the U.S. dollar at a one-to-one basis. In other words, Binance peg the price of Binance USD to the U.S. Dollar to consistently keep it at $1.00 USD.

That said, in terms of stability and trustworthiness, users generally rank USDT lower.

Audits haven't verified that USDT is actually backed by reserve assets, and the issuers of USDT have been involved in numerous lawsuits regarding false data and claims they've made about their peg and being fully backed.

While Binance USD is issued by a trusted company (Paxos), the issuers of Tether have been far from transparent, leading to a general lack of trust in USDT. When comparing these stablecoins, it seems that BUSD is safer than USDT simply because it’s been under less scrutiny.

Not surprisingly, you can buy BUSD tokens on the Binance exchange without incurring any fees.

As one of the most popular stablecoins, it's also available on a number of other crypto exchanges, including Kraken, which charges no fees for a trade.

You'll need to fund your account with USD first to add BUSD, and you'll probably want to open a wallet for your crypto.

While you can keep your crypto on an exchange, there are a number of benefits to using a crypto wallet vs exchange to store your coins. If you want to take advantage of staking Binance's stablecoin, you can also earn interest on your stablecoins and tokens with Nexo.