WisdomTree Doubles Down on Crypto: USDW Stablecoin Targets Surging Institutional Demand

Wall Street's crypto-curious get a new toy. WisdomTree—the $90B asset manager that won't quit digital assets—just dropped USDW, its answer to the stablecoin arms race.

Pegged to the dollar but built for blockchain, USDW enters a crowded field dominated by Tether and Circle. But WisdomTree's betting its regulated pedigree will lure institutions still skittish after 2022's stablecoin collapses.

The move comes as TradFi firms scramble to offer "crypto exposure without the crypto risk"—a neat trick if you ignore the fact that stablecoins are, well, crypto. USDW will initially launch on Ethereum and Stellar, with WisdomTree promising "enterprise-grade" compliance controls.

Another day, another dollar-pegged token. But this one's got something most don't: an SEC-registered issuer with 15 years of ETF experience. Whether that matters in the wild west of stablecoins? That's the billion-dollar question.