In stablecoin reporting, an attestation is an independent practitioner's assurance engagement on specified information, such as reserve balances or the relationship between reserves and tokens outstanding, under a defined scope and reporting date or period.
Stablecoin issuers often use assurance reports to provide independent evidence about reserve information. The practitioner tests the subject matter and reports a conclusion under the applicable assurance framework. Scope matters. An attestation may address selected reserve balances or management assertions without examining the issuer's complete financial statements, internal controls, or broader business risks.
An attestation has a defined subject and scope. A financial statement audit examines financial statements under auditing standards and can cover a broader set of accounts, disclosures, and controls relevant to the audit.
Readers need to understand the assurance scope before treating an attestation as evidence about the issuer's overall financial condition.
A monthly assurance engagement may test whether specified reserve assets equal or exceed stablecoins outstanding at the reporting date.