How a 1:1 peg actually works

You'll see the phrase "1:1 peg" a lot when people talk about stablecoins, but it's worth slowing down on what that actually means, because the mechanics matter more than the marketing phrase.

The basic idea

A 1:1 peg means a stablecoin is designed so that one unit of the token represents one unit of the currency it tracks. For DePix, that's the Brazilian Real: the design goal is that one DePix is meant to be worth one Real, as closely and consistently as possible.

How issuers try to hold the peg

Typically, a stablecoin issuer holds reserves — in DePix's case, Reais backing the tokens in circulation — so that the supply of the digital token lines up with the real-world currency behind it. When you convert Reais into DePix, new DePix enters circulation backed by that same amount of Reais. The goal of this design is to keep the token's market value anchored closely to the Real.

Why "designed to" matters

No peg is a legal guarantee that a token's value can never drift, which is why it's more accurate to describe it as "designed to hold" a 1:1 relationship rather than an unconditional promise. Reputable stablecoins work hard to keep that drift as close to zero as possible, and transparency about reserves is one of the main things to look for when evaluating any stablecoin, DePix included.

Why this matters for everyday use

Understanding the peg mechanism is what lets you use a stablecoin with realistic expectations: it's built for stability, not for speculation, and the whole point is that a Real-denominated amount today should still look like roughly the same amount tomorrow, next week, or next month.