Stable mainnet launch disrupts tradition! USDT pays for gas, attracting $2.8 billion

Layer1 blockchain Stable announced the official launch of its mainnet StableChain and the simultaneous release of its native governance token STABLE on December 8. The network’s biggest innovation is the use of USDT as the gas fuel token. The pre-mainnet deposit campaign, held in two stages, attracted over 24,000 wallets and more than $2.8 billion in deposits, demonstrating strong market demand for the Stable network.

$2.8 Billion in Pre-Deposits Validates Strong Market Demand

Earlier this year, Stable’s pre-deposit campaign took place in two phases, attracting over $2.8 billion in total deposits from more than 24,000 wallets. This achievement highlights the substantial demand for a dedicated stablecoin network and proves the strong backing Stable has received from major institutions and crypto venture capital firms. In contrast, many new public chains struggle to attract such a scale of capital commitment before mainnet launch, and Stable’s success shows that its innovative “USDT for Gas” model addresses a key user pain point.

Looking at the number of participating wallets, 24,000 is not astronomical, but the average deposit per user exceeded $116,000, indicating that participants were primarily institutions and high-net-worth individuals. This user structure aligns closely with Stable’s positioning—it is not a public chain seeking retail user numbers, but rather an institutional-grade infrastructure focused on payments and financial applications.

Disruptive USDT-for-Gas Design

Stable’s core innovation lies in adopting USDT as the gas token. In traditional blockchains, users must hold the platform’s native token (such as ETH on Ethereum) to pay transaction fees, creating two major friction points: first, users must purchase an additional volatile token, increasing operational complexity; second, native token price volatility leads to unpredictable gas fees.

Stable’s design eliminates these issues entirely. Since USDT is a stablecoin, users don’t have to worry about gas fee price volatility—every transaction cost is denominated in USD. This design is highly attractive for scenarios such as cross-border payments, remittances, and commercial settlements, as businesses can accurately predict transaction costs without worrying about token price swings impacting financial planning.

More importantly, as the world’s largest stablecoin (with a market cap over $140 billion), USDT’s liquidity and acceptance far surpass any new chain’s native token. This means Stable users don’t have to go through the cumbersome process of “buy token → transfer → pay gas”; instead, they can use their existing USDT holdings for all operations.

STABLE Tokenomics and Governance Mechanism

Although USDT handles the gas payment function, Stable has still issued a native governance token, STABLE. This dual-token model separates payment from governance, avoiding the conflict of a single token needing to serve both as a stable asset and a speculative investment. The total supply of STABLE is capped at 100 billion tokens, with a distribution plan that emphasizes ecosystem development and long-term orientation.

40% is allocated to developer grants and ecosystem partnerships—the largest single allocation—showing Stable’s priority to attract developers and applications. 25% is reserved for the team, 25% for early investors, both with a one-year lock-up period and four-year linear vesting thereafter, effectively preventing short-term sell pressure. Only 10% is used for genesis distribution—this conservative initial circulation strategy helps maintain token price stability.

The STABLE token is mainly used for governance and network security under the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism, with no payment function. Holders can participate in protocol governance voting and contribute to network security through staking. This design makes STABLE a pure governance and security asset, with its value directly tied to network usage and governance weight.

Institutional Lineup and Ecosystem Layout

Earlier this year, Stable completed a $28 million seed round led by Hack VC, with advisors including crypto heavyweights such as Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. More importantly, Stable has secured partnerships with Anchorage Digital, PayPal, and Standard Chartered’s Libeara.

PayPal’s participation is particularly noteworthy. As the world’s largest digital payments platform, PayPal has actively expanded into crypto in recent years, launching its own stablecoin, PYUSD. Its collaboration with Stable signals PayPal’s recognition of the value of dedicated stablecoin networks. The addition of Standard Chartered’s Libeara represents an endorsement from traditional financial institutions.

The Stable Foundation will oversee ecosystem fund allocation, community programs, and protocol governance. CEO Brian Mehler emphasized, “This is not just a moment for institutional investors—it’s an opportunity for the entire DeFi community to join us.” This statement indicates Stable’s intent to balance institutional-grade infrastructure with community participation.