The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has granted PayPal Digital a limited purpose trust charter, a designation typically held by digital asset custodians and some stablecoin issuers.
Last August, PayPal launched its PYUSD stablecoin, marking the first stablecoin from a BigTech company. Paxos Trust Company, which also holds an NYDFS limited trust charter, currently issues the PYUSD stablecoin. Paxos has been PayPal’s partner for its cryptocurrency services since inception. Consequently, the new trust charter may signal PayPal’s intention to take over the custody of its clients’ crypto-assets and potentially move the issuance of PYUSD in-house.
Despite reaching out to PayPal for clarification on the purpose of the trust charter, no response was received before publication.
The PYUSD stablecoin is still in its early stages, with its recent integration for cross-border payments via PayPal’s Xoom app. The stablecoin’s market capitalization has grown to nearly $400 million, up from $190 million in early April. Notably, wallets associated with the issuer Paxos hold over $125 million, possibly on behalf of PayPal. The top five wallets constitute 71% of the stablecoin balance, with 17 wallets holding $1 million or more, accounting for 97% of the total holdings.
The largest holders include Paxos, Crypto.com, Curve (DeFi), Defiance Capital, and Frax (DeFi). Among these, Crypto.com holds a balance of $103 million and Bullish holds $23 million.
Additionally, in November, the SEC’s enforcement division issued a subpoena requesting documents related to the issuance of the PYUSD stablecoin.
Source: ledgerinsights.com
