Dai Crypto Contribution to the Stablecoin World

Dai is a crypto based on the Ethereum network. Its main defining feature is the fact that it's a stablecoin.

Dai works alongside MakerDAO, and the Maker Protocol, to ensure the stability of its coins is maintained throughout its existence.

Maker Protocol is open-source software, which, due to its nature, is accessible by anyone. It sits on the Ethereum network seamlessly, allowing Dai to carry out its operations to remain a stable crypto coin.

How do stablecoins work?

Stablecoins are extremely popular in the crypto world, as they provide stability and regularity in the heavily volatile crypto world. In simple terms, stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that match the US dollar in value. Essentially, its exchange rate with the USD will always remain 1:1 - if things are going well, that is!

This means that even if the crypto market is falling, a stablecoin, like Dai, will stay at the same ratio as the dollar. In fact, there are several reasons why you might want to hold on to a stablecoin instead of US dollars in fiat:

• A stablecoin is less likely to be affected by inflation when the government prints too much fiat currency.

• Stablecoins, like Dai, provide a borderless and international mode of payment that seamlessly transfers anywhere in the world in minutes.

• The cost of transactions with these stablecoins is lower, too, with most options only requiring some cents per transaction.

Types of stablecoins

Why are these coins, including Dai crypto, able to match the US dollar's value and stay par with it? Well, there are multiple ways to achieve that feat - mainly three, to be specific.

Algorithm-based stablecoins

With these coins, particular algorithms are set to allow the crypto to match the USD's value. These projects will consist mainly of two different tokens representing the same organization: one to deal with the market's volatility and the other to stay level with the dollar.

This is the slightly more uncommon route we see in the crypto industry regarding stablecoins, as the other two models follow are more popular. Both the following models are based on the concept of collateralization, so we'll delve a bit into that before we talk about the models themselves.

Collateralization

You may have heard of the term "collateral". It is a common term and an important factor in obtaining loans. If you're not familiar with collateralization, here’s a great source of information where you can learn about the topic in depth.

To put it briefly, collateralization is securing a loan by providing a valuable asset in return to the lender. The asset that's provided as security to the lender is called collateral. Dai's approach to being a stablecoin in the crypto industry also follows the collateralization route.

Crypto-backed collateralization

In this case, users provide cryptocurrency as collateral to obtain that project's tokens. To get their crypto back from the platform, they need to return the exact amount of tokens they borrowed plus a processing fee.

If we're talking about Dai crypto, in particular, it makes use of Ethereum as crypto collateral. So, users keep Ethereum in the vault of MakerDAO as collateral to receive Dai tokens in return. And, when they're looking to retrieve their Ethereum, they need to pay the exact amount they loaned in Dai, plus a fee on top. This is how the platform maintains stability and consistently matches with the USD.

Fiat-backed collateralization

This follows the procedure of the crypto-based method, but uses fiat instead of cryptocurrency as collateral. Users can provide any fiat currency as collateral to receive that platform's token and then vice versa when they need to return it. Tether USD or TUSD is a popular stablecoin that follows this strategy to stabilize itself.

What makes Dai crypto unique?

A major factor that makes the Dai crypto unique is that it was one of the first projects to introduce the idea of decentralized finance or DeFi. Its usage of stablecoins and matching with the exact value of the dollar, but more liquid and accessible, meant that it seemed more viable for the future.

Dai crypto is also one of the few stablecoins based on Ethereum using crypto collateralization. It also offers great incentives and security for users. One huge security factor with Dai is that it maintains a specific ratio of 150% of Ethereum kept as collateral to the amount borrowed in Dai. This means that to borrow $10 worth of Dai, one would need to keep $15 worth of Ethereum as collateral with MakerDAO.

And, if this ratio is ever broken or inconsistent, the user can appeal and receive a proportion of the collateralized Ethereum in compensation.

Anomalies with Dai crypto

Dai has remained pretty stable over the years, with the crypto matching the USD value with a 1:1 ratio. However, there was one incident where it spiked to $1.11 in value. An increase of 0.11 might not seem much in the crypto world usually, but it's massive for a stablecoin.

It's worth noting that this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when the market was extremely volatile. Apart from that, Dai has remained one of the best stablecoin options in the market, if not the best.

Integration with applications and MKR token

MKR is the main crypto token of the MakerDAO platform and is tied heavily with Dai. Its primary role lies in the governance and operation of Dai. Holders of the MKR token have a say in the future of Dai. They can have voting rights, with the main idea being decentralized governance for the Dai crypto. There are various forums and voting platforms where holders can have their say openly.

Other applications

Various applications use Dai and accept it as a means of payment. These include crypto exchanges and platforms, such as Coinbase, Metamask, and Ledger. Some popular Metaverse games also accept payment in Dai - notable names include Sandbox and League of Kingdoms.

Final thoughts on Dai crypto

The fact that Dai is accepted widely by many big-name applications shows that it's seen as a reliable crypto token. Accessibility is a big factor in making cryptocurrencies important for users. Dai does just that with its usability and stability.

Another crucial aspect that Dai implements well is integrating the community and users within the project. It's important, today, to involve your community in your operations, especially as a crypto-based project.

Dai looks to stay strong moving forward, with a great foundation like MakerDAO supporting the project. Hopefully, we have a lot more to come from the project in the future too!