FMA Austria Explains Stablecoin Risks, Reserves, Investor Awareness

The FMA explains: how stable are your coins?

1. April 2026

• Press Release A “stablecoin” is a special type of crypto-asset whose value is pegged to stable benchmarks – such as traditional currencies or commodities like gold or oil intended to promise lower price volatility. In its new video clip in the “ 1 Minute – 1 Begriff ” (“A term explained in a minute”) series, the FMA explains what stablecoins are, the risks that may be associated with them, and what to be aware of when purchasing them.

Their promised stability depends on whether the issuer of the stablecoins holds sufficient reserves at all times. Where the level of trust is eroded, such as when a large number of investors want to cash out at the same time, stablecoins can also rapidly lose their stability. This is where the role of the supervisor comes in.

The FMA is competent as the central national supervisory authority for authorisation and ongoing supervision of issuers of stablecoins as well as crypto service providers in Austria. Based on powers conferred on it by the EU’s Regulation for Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCAR) it monitors the crypto market, reviews providers prior to authorisation and conducts ongoing market and conduct supervision. Its objective is to protect consumers against dubious providers, while simultaneously ensuring financial market security.

In its “1 Minute – 1 Begriff” video clip series, FMA staff members explain about key financial and supervisory topics from their own day-to-day supervisory practice – is a brief, straightforward and succinct manner. All videos in the series can be found in German only on the FMA’s Instagram channel @redenwiruebergeld and on the FMA’s YouTube Channel.

Journalists may address further enquiries to

Boris Gröndahl (FMA Media Spokesperson)

Telephone: +43/(1)249/59-6010

Mobile: +43 676 8824 9995

E-Mail: [email protected]

« The FMA warns against offerings by TGI AG Back to the list