USDA vs USDS
Avalon USDa and Sky Dollar, compared on the things that decide whether you get your dollar back. Live data, updated continuously.
30-day peg gap and USDA/USDS spread
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Avalon USDa is a dollar-denominated token tracked across 9 chains. No verified issuer disclosure is on file, so its collateral and legal structure score conservatively.
Verdict band: Adequate
Sky's upgraded dollar, overcollateralised on-chain by crypto assets and tokenised real-world credit. Collateral is verifiable on-chain in real time; a large share is now allocated to Treasury-backed exposure.
Verdict band: Strong
| Safety scoreComposite of collateral, peg, liquidity, issuer and track record. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | 60 | 88 | USDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collateral qualityWhat actually backs the token, and how liquid that backing is. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | 55 | 84 | USDS |
| Exit liquidityWhether you can leave at size without moving the price. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | $3.49M | $2.05B | USDS |
| Issuer & legal standingRegulatory perimeter, disclosure quality and redemption rights. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 48 | 82 | USDS |
| Peg tightness (live)Absolute distance from $1.00 right now — smaller is better. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 0.000% | −0.015% | USDA |
| Worst recorded depegHow badly the token has broken before, as a stress precedent. | ●●●●4 of 5 | None recorded | None recorded | Tie |
| Track recordYears live and behaviour through past stress events. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 53 | 61 | USDS |
| Scale / market capBigger float usually means broader venue support and tighter spreads. | ●●●3 of 5 | $145.56M | $6.85B | USDS |
| Chain reachNumber of networks where the token is natively deployed. | ●●●3 of 5 | 9 chains | 4 chains | USDA |
| Best available yieldUpside — but every extra point above T-bills is paid for with risk. | ●●2 of 5 | None | 13.90% | USDS |
"Matters" is our weighting of how much each dimension typically drives a real allocation decision. Sort any column to re-rank the tradeoffs by what matters to you.
The short answer
USDS scores higher on safety (88 vs 60), driven mainly by collateral quality and disclosure. USDS has deeper tracked liquidity ($2.05B), which is what determines whether you can exit at size. USDS currently earns up to 13.90% — remember that any rate above the T-bill yield is payment for a risk.
If both are fiat-reserve tokens, note that holding both is not diversification: they share the same short-dated Treasury and banking exposure. Genuine diversification means mixing collateral structures.
Which one fits your goal: USDA or USDS?
Capital preservation over everything else.
For park cash safely, USDS is the better fit over USDA.
- Safety score 88 vs 60, with collateral rated 84/100.
- Current peg deviation -0.015% against 0.000% for USDA.
- No material depeg recorded for USDS in our incident log.
Concentrating in one issuer is a single point of failure regardless of score. Split across collateral structures.
Key risks, side by side
USDA
- Collateral volatility: a fast drawdown in backing assets can force liquidations.
- No depeg recorded in our incident log — absence of history is not a guarantee.
- Limited public attestation of reserves.
USDS
- Collateral volatility: a fast drawdown in backing assets can force liquidations.
- No depeg recorded in our incident log — absence of history is not a guarantee.
- Attestation cadence: onchain.
- Yield venue risk: 13.90% is earned outside the token itself.
- Chain concentration: 98% of supply sits on Ethereum.
| Metric | USDA | USDS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Stablecoin | Stablecoin |
| Issuer | Undisclosed | Sky (formerly MakerDAO) |
| Jurisdiction | Not documented | Decentralised / Cayman foundation |
| Collateral | crypto-backed | crypto-overcollateralized |
| Peg mechanism | crypto-backed | crypto-backed |
| Attestation | none | onchain |
| Redemption | market-only | direct |
| Price | $1.0000 | $0.9998 |
| Peg deviation | 0.000% | −0.015% |
| Market cap | $145.56M | $6.85B |
| 7d supply change | −0.01% | +4.67% |
| Liquidity | $3.49M | $2.05B |
| Best yield | None | 13.90% (yearn-finance · Ethereum) |
| Chains | 9 | 4 |
| Launched | — | 2024 |
| Worst recorded depeg | None recorded | None recorded |
Spread, peg gap and switching cost
- Price spread (USDA vs USDS)
- +1.5 bps
- $1.0000 vs $0.9998
- Peg deviation gap
- -0.015 pp
- USDA 0.000% · USDS −0.015%
- Yield spread
- -13.90%
- USDA — · USDS 13.90%
- Liquidity ratio
- 0.00×
- $3.49M vs $2.05B
A round trip between USDA and USDS costs roughly the market spread plus venue fees. At 1.5 bps of price gap, swapping $1M implies about $150.07 of price impact before fees — usually only worth it if the peg gap or yield spread is durable, not intraday noise.
Historical context
Track record is the part of a stablecoin you cannot model — it has to be observed. Here is how USDA and USDS have actually behaved since launch, including every stress event we have on record.
- USDS
Sky Dollar goes live.
Chain coverage
USDA is live on 9 chains, USDS on 4. 1 chains carry both, so bridging is only unavoidable for the 11 networks where just one of them is deployed.
| Chain | USDA | USDS | Both available |
|---|---|---|---|
| $86.65M | $6.74B | Yes | |
| — | $99.75M | USDS only | |
| $36.69M | — | USDA only | |
| $11.09M | — | USDA only | |
| $7.51M | — | USDA only | |
| — | $5.62M | USDS only | |
| — | $2.91M | USDS only | |
| $2.69M | — | USDA only | |
| $533.3K | — | USDA only | |
| $309.7K | — | USDA only | |
| $40.4K | — | USDA only | |
| $38.3K | — | USDA only |
USDA vs USDS: frequently asked questions
Is USDA or USDS safer?
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On our composite safety score USDS rates 88/100 versus 60/100 for USDA. The score weighs collateral quality (crypto-overcollateralized vs crypto-backed), redemption rights, attestation quality, peg history and liquidity depth. A higher score is not a guarantee: both remain issuer-credit and smart-contract exposures, not insured bank deposits.
What is the difference between USDA and USDS?
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Avalon USDa is issued by Undisclosed (Not documented), backed by crypto-backed, with redemption terms: market-only. Sky Dollar is issued by Sky (formerly MakerDAO) (Decentralised / Cayman foundation), backed by crypto-overcollateralized, with redemption terms: direct. Attestation coverage is "none" for USDA and "onchain" for USDS.
Which has the bigger market cap, USDA or USDS?
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USDS is larger at $6.85B in circulating supply, against $145.56M for the other. Over the last 7 days supply moved −0.01% for USDA and +4.67% for USDS.
Are USDA and USDS trading at $1.00 right now?
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USDA trades at $1.0000 (0.000% off peg) and USDS at $0.9998 (−0.015% off peg). The gap between the two is about 1.5 basis points, which is the cost you pay when rotating size between them before fees.
Has USDA or USDS ever depegged?
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USDA: no material depeg recorded in our incident set. USDS: no material depeg recorded in our incident set. Past peg behaviour under stress is the single best available proxy for how a token trades in the next crisis.
Which is better for large institutional size, USDA or USDS?
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For block size the constraint is exit liquidity and primary redemption, not headline supply. USDS shows deeper on-chain liquidity at $2.05B versus $3.49M. Combine that with the redemption channel — USDA: market-only; USDS: direct — and size trades against the primary window rather than the order book where possible.
Can I earn yield on USDA or USDS?
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USDS currently shows the higher rate at 13.90% via yearn-finance · Ethereum, against no tracked rate for USDA. Neither token pays interest by holding it in a wallet: the yield comes from lending, liquidity provision or a wrapped yield-bearing version, each with its own counterparty and contract risk.
Which chains support both USDA and USDS?
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Both are deployed on 1 shared network, including Ethereum. USDA spans 9 chains in total and USDS spans 4. Bridged supply on a chain is not the same as natively issued supply, and it usually carries the bridge's risk rather than the issuer's.
What does it cost to switch from USDA to USDS?
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Budget three components: the current price spread of roughly 1.5 bps, swap or venue fees, and slippage against available depth ($3.49M for USDA, $2.05B for USDS). For meaningful size, redeeming with the issuer and minting the other side is often cheaper than a secondary-market swap.
Is USDA or USDS regulated?
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USDA is issued from Not documented with none; USDS is issued from Decentralised / Cayman foundation with onchain. Regulatory status varies by your own jurisdiction and by whether the token is offered under a specific stablecoin regime, so treat this as a starting point for diligence, not legal advice.