USDt | Crypto

BlockSec data shows Tether froze over $500 million in USDT across 370 Ethereum and Tron addresses in 30 days, adding to $1.26 billion frozen in 2025 linked to illicit activity. Tether has frozen more than $514 million in USDT across Ethereum and Tron over the past 30 days, according to onchain data from BlockSec’s USDT Freeze Tracker, highlighting the stablecoin issuer’s growing role in crypto-related enforcement actions. As of Friday, the tool shows 370 addresses blacklisted in that period, including 328 on Tron and 42 on Ethereum, with about $505.9 million frozen on Tron and $8.73 million on Ethereum. The figures indicate that most recent enforcement activity is concentrated on Tron and highlight how often the world’s largest stablecoin issuer is intervening onchain to immobilize funds flagged as high-risk or linked to investigations. Read more

The Agent Cards launched to a select group of businesses on Thursday, with a limited number of additional companies set to gain access over the next two months. Crypto wallet startup Oobit has launched a Visa-supported virtual card for AI agents to make online purchases in USDT on behalf of businesses without human intervention. The Agent Cards are funded directly from stablecoin issuer Tether’s treasury, meaning no fiat on-ramp or conversions are needed for AI agents to top up USDt (USDT) balances and make online purchases, Oobit said on Thursday. The Tether-backed startup said the AI agents could use the cards to do anything from renewing a software-as-a-service subscription to topping up an advertising budget or even “spinning up cloud infrastructure at 3am because a workflow told it to.”  Read more

RealOpen, the leading platform for buying real estate with crypto, today announced the conclusion of its collaborative "Fast Moves, Fast Payments" Holiday Campaign with TRON Los Angeles, California, April 29, 2026 – RealOpen, the leading platform for buying real estate with crypto, today announced the conclusion of its collaborative "Fast Moves, Fast Payments" Holiday Campaign with TRON, the leading settlement layer for stablecoin transactions. The campaign, which ran from November 17, 2025, through February 28, 2026, offered eligible U.S. homebuyers up to 50,000 USDT in rewards for purchasing property through RealOpen using USDT on the TRON blockchain, illustrating the network’s real-world use across both everyday payments and high-value transactions. RealOpen combines the reliability of traditional real estate with the speed and efficiency of crypto. Through its platform, buyers can purchase any property on the market and fund the purchase directly with digital assets, making blockchain-powered homebuying a...

The 30-day Trade-to-Feed competition marks BitMart's 8th anniversary and the exchange's strategic listing of EAT, the first cause coin. The 30-day Trade-to-Feed competition marks BitMart's 8th anniversary and the exchange's strategic listing of EAT, the first cause coin. New York, United States, April 28, 2026, Chainwire – BitMart, the global digital asset exchange serving millions of users worldwide, today launched the Trade-to-Feed competition, a 30-day trading competition paying out up to $4.4 million USDT in trader rewards. The campaign marks BitMart's eighth anniversary and the exchange's listing of EAT (WYDE: End Hunger), the first cause coin to list on a major centralized exchange. Cause coins are an emerging asset class engineered so that fees from trading activity flow to charitable grant-making infrastructure alongside trader rewards. By making EAT the inaugural cause coin listing and pairing it with the largest competition in BitMart's history, the exchange is positioning itself ahead of a category...

[PRESS RELEASE – New York, United States, April 28th, 2026] 30-day Trade-to-Feed competition marks BitMart’s 8th anniversary and the exchange’s strategic listing of $EAT, the first cause coin. BitMart, the global digital asset exchange serving millions of users worldwide, today launched the Trade-to-Feed competition, a 30-day trading competition paying out up to $4.4 million USDT […]

Toobit is one of the most popular and award-winning international cryptocurrency exchanges. Today, it has announced a 150,000 USDT reward pool for its peer-to-peer (P2P) trading community. The event will start from April 27th and run through May 18th this year. It invites active traders to take part in a series of deposit and trading […]

The stablecoin issuer cited "activity tied to unlawful conduct” but no further explanation for the freezing of the dollar-pegged tokens held in two wallet addresses. Tether, the company that issues the USDt dollar-pegged stablecoin, said Thursday that it froze more than $344 million in USDt at the request of US law enforcement officials.  The company froze two wallet addresses at the request of US authorites for “activity tied to unlawful conduct,” according to Tether’s announcement. Tether did not provide a specific reason for the asset freezes, but said that it freezes wallet addresses tied to “sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activity.” Read more

The Iranian government chose Bitcoin as a payment method for oil tolls due to its confiscation-resistant properties, but only dollar stablecoins have been used so far. Iran’s government naming Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment method for oil ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz highlights its role as a neutral, strategic asset, according to Sam Lyman, head of research at digital asset advocacy organization Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI).  The government selected BTC as one of the payment methods for the tolls because of its censorship-resistant qualities, Lyman told Cointelegraph. He said:  Iran is accepting oil tolls in Chinese yuan, US dollar-pegged stablecoins and BTC. However, there is “no onchain evidence” of a BTC toll payment so far, Lyman said, adding that the “majority” of Iran’s crypto transactions are denominated in US dollar stablecoins. Read more

Stablecoins dominated crypto trading in Q1 as investors sought safety, while rising bot usage and declining retail flows pointed to shifting market dynamics, according to CEX.io. Stablecoins were a rare bright spot in an otherwise subdued crypto market in the first quarter, with supply growth and transaction activity pointing to sustained demand even as broader market conditions weakened. Total stablecoin supply increased by roughly $8 billion to a record $315 billion in Q1, according to data from CEX.IO. Although this marked the slowest pace of expansion since Q4 of 2023, it still represented growth during a period when the wider crypto market contracted. The data suggests investors rotated into stablecoins as a defensive strategy, boosting their share of overall market activity. Stablecoins accounted for 75% of total crypto trading volume during the quarter — the highest level on record. Read more

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.