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Tether has reportedly hired KPMG for its first full independent audit of USDT’s reserves and brought in PwC to help, as the stablecoin giant eyes a multibillion-dollar equity raise. The Financial Times reported on Friday that Tether has hired KPMG to conduct its first full audit of USDT’s financial statements and brought in PwC to help prepare its internal systems, citing people familiar with the matter. The reported mandate follows Tether’s Tuesday announcement that it had formally engaged a Big Four firm for an inaugural financial statement audit, without naming the provider, and comes after years of pledges to deliver a full review of its books while relying instead on periodic reserve attestations from BDO Italia, the Italian member firm of the BDO global accounting network that has been producing USDt (USDT) assurance reports since 2022. The move comes as Tether (USDT) weighs a major equity raise and a push into the US under the new federal stablecoin framework created by the Guiding and Establishing Nat...

For years, the shortest line of attack against Tether was the demand for a full independent audit. The audit never came, and the company absorbed the reputational cost without visible damage to its position. USDT crossed $184 billion in market capitalization, reached more than 550 million users, and became the dominant liquidity layer across global […] The post After years of “harsh” treatment Tether finally convinces ‘Big Four’ firm to audit USDT appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The stablecoin issuer did not name the accounting firm from the ‘Big Four‘ roster of Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Stablecoin issuer Tether said it would hire one of the “Big Four” accounting firms to conduct a full audit of its reserves for the first time. In a Tuesday notice, Tether said that the accounting firm — which it did not disclose — would complete a “full independent financial statement audit” for the stablecoin issuer, including for its US dollar-pegged USDt (USDT). The accounting industry’s so-called “Big Four” are Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Read more

The audit aims to address long-standing questions over USDT reserves and push new disclosure standards.

Analysts at the investment company said the change was significant because the stablecoin “winner” will be the one people use for everyday transactions. Japanese investment bank Mizuho reported that stablecoin issuer Circle’s USDC overtook Tether’s USDt in transaction volume for the first time since 2019. In a research note released on Friday, Mizuho said it had raised its price target for Circle stock from $100 to $120 after comparing transaction volumes between the two major stablecoins. According to Mizuho, USDC (USDC) had about $2.2 trillion in adjusted transaction volume for the year to date, compared with USDt (USDT) at $1.3 trillion. “The data shows USDC vs. USDT volumes at 64% market share,” said Mizuho. This is a reversal in a long-term trend of USDT volumes surpassing USDC in 2019-2025.” Read more

US prosecutors moved to forfeit $3.44 million in USDt allegedly tied to a crypto investment scam that tricked victims into sending Ether to wallets controlled by fraudsters. US federal prosecutors have filed a civil forfeiture action to recover roughly 3.44 million USDt tied to an alleged online crypto investment scam that targeted victims across several states. According to a Tuesday announcement from the US Attorney’s Office in Boston, the funds were linked to a scheme that persuaded victims to send cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by scammers. Authorities said they seized the USDt (USDT) in February and March 2025, and are now asking a court to authorize the permanent forfeiture of the assets. “In such fraud schemes, scammers obtain funds from victims using manipulative tactics,” prosecutors said, adding that they establish a level of trust with a victim and then entice the victim into investing in a fraudulent investment scheme. Read more

Tether has landed a Big Four accounting firm’s name on a reserve report tied to its US strategy. On Feb. 27, Deloitte issued an independent accountant’s report on Anchorage Digital Bank’s “USAT Reserve Report,” an attestation covering USAT, a US dollar token issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, National Association, in collaboration with Tether. The development […] The post Tether finally lands a Big Four auditor – but the $189B USDT question still isn’t answered appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A February report claimed that Tether had frozen about $4.2 billion worth of its USDt stablecoin allegedly connected to illicit activities since 2023. The US Justice Department is seeking to recover about $327,829 worth of stablecoins allegedly connected to a money laundering scheme part of an online romance scam. In a Monday notice, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said it had filed a civil forfeiture action to recover more than 327,829 of Tether's USDt (USDT). According to authorities, the funds were tied to an alleged online romance fraud scheme perpetrated by an individual named “Linda Brown” which targeted a Massachusetts resident starting in 2024.  “Some of the victim’s funds were traced to multiple unhosted cryptocurrency wallets, which were seized in August 2025,” said the Justice Department. “The complaint alleges that all cryptocurrency associated with those wallets was property involved in money laundering.” Read more

Telegram’s crypto wallet introduces self-custodial vaults, letting users earn yields on Bitcoin, Ether and USDt directly inside the messaging app. Telegram’s built-in crypto wallet has introduced a feature that allows users to earn returns on major cryptocurrencies inside the messaging app. The update introduces vaults in TON Wallet, a self-custodial wallet integrated within Wallet in Telegram, enabling users to hold, send and earn on Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether’s USDt (USDT) without leaving the chat interface, according to a Thursday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. “At Wallet in Telegram, our mission is to transform digital assets from complex concepts into practical tools for everyday life,” said Andrew Rogozov, CEO of The Open Platform and Wallet in Telegram. Read more

The $61 million USDT seizure in North Carolina shows how US authorities can trace and freeze stablecoin flows tied to pig butchering scams, as AI‑driven impersonation schemes surge. US Federal agents in North Carolina seized more than $61 million worth of USDt (USDT) tied to a large‑scale “pig butchering” crypto investment scam that preyed on victims through fake online relationships and fraudulent trading platforms. According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Raleigh on Tuesday, the scammers posed as romantic partners and claimed to have special trading expertise. They then steered their victims toward convincing but fake crypto sites that displayed fictitious investment portfolios showing unusually high returns that enticed them to invest more, before the scammers blocked their withdrawals and demanded extra fees when victims tried to get their money back. Read more

The crypto market has entered a fragile phase as Bitcoin dropped under the critical $70,000 level and bounced off $60,000, a zone that has increasingly acted as a gravitational pull rather than a launchpad. This subdued price action came as the stablecoin market has surged, with Tether and Circle minting billions of dollars’ worth of […] The post Did minting $3 billion USDT, USDC just help stop Bitcoin losing $60k? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

China seeks to make the renminbi a true reserve currency, but the numbers reveal a story in which Beijing's capital controls create conditions for Bitcoin and dollar stablecoins to thrive as workarounds rather than competitors. The International Monetary Fund's latest reserve data shows the renminbi holding just 1.93% of global foreign exchange reserves in the […] The post China targets global reserve currency status but capital controls push traders toward USDT and Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Browser firm Opera's stock climbed Monday after the company said its MiniPay wallet now supports USDT and Tether Gold.

The Central Bank of Iran reportedly stockpiled more than half a billion dollars worth of USDt amid escalating protests and crypto usage in the country. Blockchain analytics platform Elliptic reported that the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) acquired more than half a billion dollars worth of Tether’s USDt, with indications that the stablecoins were used to prop up the country’s fiat currency. In a Wednesday report, Elliptic said Iran’s central bank had about $507 million in USDt (USDT), the US dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Tether. According to the platform, it was likely that the bank used the digital assets to address the collapse of Iran’s rial or settle international trade. “The CBI's accumulation of USDT began in earnest during a period of extreme economic volatility,” said Elliptic. “The value of the rial had halved in just eight months, to a record low against the dollar (at the time). Iran's central bank may have attempted to stem this decline by buying rials with USDT on Nobitex, effectively using cryp...

Elliptic traced more than $500 million in USDT tied to Iran’s central bank, suggesting the stablecoin was used to manage foreign-exchange pressures and build a “sanctions-proof” alternative to dollar banking.

The apparent shutdown follows years of scrutiny of one of crypto’s largest fraud marketplaces. A Telegram-based escrow service linked to an illicit online marketplace appears to be winding down operations after refunding more than $130 million in stablecoins, a move that analysts say may disrupt a major hub for crypto-related scams. Tudou Guarantee, a service linked to the Huione Group, has apparently refunded $130 million in Tether USDt (USDT) to the group’s public merchants since the beginning of 2026, according to data shared by blockchain analytics company Bitrace. Refunds began with about $3.7 million on Jan. 1 and peaked at about $18.1 million on Sunday, Bitrace said. Earlier on Friday, the company seemingly announced the shuttering of operations through its Telegram channel, according to screenshots shared by Bitrace. Read more

Binance launched gold and silver perpetual futures settled in USDT, expanding crypto-denominated access to precious metals markets. Binance launched new perpetual futures contracts tied to gold and silver, expanding the crypto exchange’s derivatives offering beyond digital assets as demand grows for exposure to traditional safe-haven markets. Binance said Thursday it had introduced gold and silver perpetual futures that allow investors to trade the metals around the clock without an expiration date. The contracts are settled in Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin, giving traders onchain access to price movements in precious metals rather than direct ownership of the underlying assets. Read more

USDC grew faster than USDT for the second consecutive year, driven by increased demand for regulated digital dollars.

When Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears in a federal courtroom in New York to face narco-terrorism charges, the world will see a geopolitical spectacle. However, for cryptocurrency investors, the proceedings carry a hidden financial stake that could reshape the global Bitcoin market for years to come. Data from Bitcoin Treasuries credit the Venezuelan government with […] The post Venezuela’s secret $60 billion Bitcoin empire from illicit gold and USDT swap rumors ignite after US “intervention” appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A user lost nearly $50 million in USDt after copying a poisoned wallet address from transaction history, showing how subtle address spoofing can trick users. A single transaction error led to one of the largest onchain losses seen this year, after a user mistakenly sent nearly $50 million in USDt to a scam address in a classic address poisoning attack. According to onchain investigator Web3 Antivirus, the victim lost 49,999,950 USDt (USDT) after copying a malicious wallet address from their transaction history. Address poisoning scams rely on look-alike wallet addresses being inserted into a victim’s transaction history via small transfers. When victims later copy an address from their transaction history, they may unknowingly select the scammer’s lookalike address instead of the intended recipient. Read more