Glossary
Stablecoin
A token whose issuer promises it can be redeemed for one unit of a currency, usually a dollar. The promise is only as good as the issuer and the reserves behind it.
The word "issuer" is the whole difference from a coin. Nobody issues bitcoin. Somebody issues USDT and USDC, and that somebody can freeze balances, has done so, and answers to a regulator.
See also
CoinThe native asset of its own network — bitcoin on Bitcoin, ether on Ethereum. Nobody issues it; it exists because the network's rules create it.
TokenAn asset that lives on someone else's network and follows that network's rules, created by a contract that somebody wrote and often still controls.
IssuerThe entity that creates a token and stands behind whatever it promises. For a stablecoin the issuer holds the reserves and can usually freeze balances.
Last checked 19 Oct 2026.