{
  "dataset": "glossary",
  "record": {
    "id": "stablecoin",
    "term": "Stablecoin",
    "category": "commerce",
    "short_def": "A cryptocurrency designed to hold a stable value, typically pegged to a fiat currency such as the US dollar.",
    "long_def": "A stablecoin (e.g. USDC) aims to keep a 1:1 peg to a reference asset, usually backed by reserves, so it can be transferred on-chain without the volatility of other crypto. For agent payments, stablecoins offer fast, programmable, low-friction settlement — which is why several agent-payment protocols settle in them.",
    "see_also": [
      "agentic-commerce",
      "x402",
      "micropayment"
    ],
    "etymology_origin": {
      "value": null,
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stablecoin — term emerged with fiat-pegged crypto tokens in the mid-2010s"
    },
    "related_to": [
      "agentic-commerce",
      "x402",
      "micropayment",
      "agent-as-buyer"
    ],
    "contrast_with": "Unlike volatile cryptocurrencies whose price swings, a stablecoin targets a fixed value, making it usable as a unit of account for an actual payment.",
    "example": "The x402 payment flow demonstrated in this site's services page settles in a USD stablecoin (USDC) — the kind of programmable rail an agent can pay over.",
    "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stablecoin",
    "status": "active",
    "why_it_matters": "Stablecoins are a leading settlement rail for agentic commerce; protocols like x402 and AP2 lean on them for instant, programmable, machine-native payments.",
    "sameAs": [
      "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stablecoin"
    ],
    "bridge_entity": "agentic-commerce",
    "last_verified": "2026-07-06",
    "md_twin": "/glossary/stablecoin.md"
  }
}