Bernstein said OUSD could become the strongest new challenger to the Circle-Tether duopoly, while flagging unresolved questions around governance, operations and revenue sharing. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire argued that USDC's decade-long network of integrations, liquidity and regulatory infrastructure gives it a structural advantage over new stablecoin entrants, while challenging key elements of Open USD's proposed business model. In a Wednesday X post, Allaire described stablecoin networks as platform businesses driven by network effects, saying sustained investment in integrations, liquidity, regulatory approvals, banking relationships and reserve management creates competitive advantages that are difficult to replicate. He also questioned whether permanently offering free, unlimited minting and redemption would remain sustainable at scale and said returning nearly all reserve income to partners risks “starving an infrastructure.” Read more
Upbit said it only expressed interest in potentially joining the OpenStandard ecosystem in the future, as several South Korean firms distanced themselves from the OUSD initiative. South Korean crypto exchange Upbit said it is not participating in the issuance of Open USD, after its operator Dunamu was named among more than 140 businesses involved in the new stablecoin initiative. “Upbit has only indicated our potential willingness to consider taking part in the future expansion of the OpenStandard ecosystem,” an Upbit spokesperson told Cointelegraph. The clarification follows similar pushback from Samsung Electronics and other South Korean companies listed by Open Standard. Read more