Monetary Sovereignty in the Age of Stablecoins
Central banks face a dilemma: embrace stablecoins and risk monetary sovereignty, or resist and lose relevance.
By Anton Titov, Founder · Plexo Institute
Central banks face a dilemma: embrace stablecoins and risk monetary sovereignty, or resist and lose relevance.
Monetary Sovereignty in the Age of Stablecoins
As USD stablecoins gain traction in emerging markets, central banks face an existential question: is this dollarization by another name?
The Sovereignty Dilemma
Stablecoin adoption in EM countries is driven by demand for stable value and cheap transfers — the same forces that drove historical dollarization.
CBDC as Response
Many central banks are developing CBDCs as a defensive move. But the track record is mixed.
The Middle Path
Regulated stablecoin frameworks that preserve monetary policy transmission while allowing innovation.
Data as of March 2026.
