Risk Factors

msUSD is not a stablecoin but a yield-generating rebasing token with a soft dollar peg, creating a fundamentally different risk profile than USDC or USDT.

Key Distinctions

Traditional stablecoins maintain their peg through fiat reserves. In contrast, msUSD's value derives from sophisticated delta-neutral trading strategies, with redemption value dependent on the current coverage ratio.

Primary Risk Categories

Options Strategy Risks

  • Volatility Risk: Mispricing between realized and implied volatility can create losses - unexpected volatility spikes can impact short positions, while lower-than-predicted volatility can affect long positions

  • Delta Hedging Costs: Extreme market conditions may increase the costs of maintaining delta neutrality

  • Liquidity Risk: Options market depth limitations could impact strategy execution during high volatility periods

  • Model Risk: Machine learning volatility prediction models may experience periods of reduced forecasting accuracy

  • Options Market Disruptions: Temporary dislocations in options pricing may occur during extreme market events

Market Structure Risks

  • USDT Depegging: Could impact positions or collateral denominated in USDT

  • Basis Risk: Potential for spot and derivatives markets to diverge unexpectedly

  • Term Structure Shifts: Rapid changes in volatility term structure could impact options positions

Custodial & Exchange

  • Operational Dependence: Reliance on institutional custodians and options exchanges

  • Counterparty Risk: Mitigated through exchange selection and position diversification

  • Planned Diversification: Strategy implementation across multiple venues to minimize venue-specific risks

Technical & Operational

  • Smart Contract Vulnerabilities: Potential risks in contract implementation

  • Cross-Chain Risks: Issues that may occur during bridging operations

Execution Systems:

Temporary failures in automated hedging or execution systems

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