USDT Hits $100 Billion Milestone as Tether Plans Stablecoin Recovery Tools

USDT Hits $100 Billion Milestone as Tether Plans Stablecoin Recovery Tools

On the day USDT reached a milestone $100 billion market cap, the company behind the stablecoin, Tether, announced recovery plans for holders if a blockchain was ever disrupted.

The $100bn market cap is a testament to the value of stablecoins in both the cryptocurrency realm and across TradFi, but it, at times, has been a rocky road to reach such widespread adoption.

On March 4, Tether released a recovery process to protect users’ funds if a blockchain is disrupted, as it attempts to allay concerns about the risk of using USDT.

USDT is now the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap, behind Bitcoin and Ethereum — with BTC itself narrowing in on its own ATH.

 

 

Key Takeaways

  • Tether, the stablecoin behind USDT, has hit a $100 billion market cap milestone.
  • With its widespread adoption on 14 blockchains, especially on the Tron network, Tether has become the third-largest cryptocurrency, trailing only Bitcoin and Ethereum.
  • In response to concerns about blockchain disruptions, Tether has introduced a recovery plan to safeguard users’ funds.
  • Users will be able to validate a transaction to another chain if disruption occurs.
  • Concerns about Tether’s backing have persisted since its inception, but the company seems to be shaking the reputation off through closer scrutiny of its reserves.

Tether tokens are available on 14 blockchains and have become especially popular on the Tron network, where low transaction fees are encouraging users in certain countries to buy and sell USDT as an alternative to devalued local currencies.

Tron has overtaken the Ethereum chain for the largest share of USDT in circulation, accounting for $50.4 billion compared with $40.6 billion on Ethereum, according to DeFi Llama data.

USDT Protection if a Blockchain Goes Offline

The new recovery tool aims to enable users to maintain access to their Tether stablecoins if the blockchain they are hosted on goes down.

The company said:

“In the event that any blockchain on which USDT is available becomes disrupted, Tether has developed and will implement its proactive measures to ensure uninterrupted accessibility for our holders, and safeguarding users’ accessibility to their USDT.”

Users would be able to migrate their USDT tokens to another blockchain through a web interface or command-line tools by cryptographically signing a migration request to verify ownership.

The web-based option supports popular browser extension wallets and hardware wallets, while the command-line interface allows users to enter their private key directly, enabling them to sign the request using an open-source script on their local machine.

Why USDT is Surging

Interest in crypto has surged since the approval of several bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in January, in turn increasing demand for USDT as an on-ramp and off-ramp to convert funds to and from cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Trading volumes in investment products reached a record of over $30 billion last week, driven by ETF demand, according to digital asset manager CoinShares, at times representing 50% of global Bitcoin daily trading volumes on trusted exchanges.

Total assets under management (AUM) reached $82.6 billion, approaching the all-time high of $86 billion at the peak of the market in early November 2021.

Fiat currency-pegged stablecoins such as Tether typically mint (or create) new tokens when users submit a transaction to convert their fiat at a value of 1:1.

So if a user requests to buy $100 worth of a stablecoin, 100 tokens are minted.

But Tether recently authorized a mint of $1 billion in USDT on the Ethereum blockchain to replenish inventory in preparation for an increase in issuance requests and swaps between blockchains, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by Tether’s chief executive officer, Paolo Ardoino.

 

Ardoino expects crypto demand to increase as more funds and companies invest in Bitcoin now that the ETFs give them the legitimacy that they need to convince accountants and auditors they should hold some on their balance sheets.

Ardoino said in a panel discussion last week:

“We are going to see a wide range of hedge funds and pension funds that will start to add Bitcoin to their portfolio now that the Bitcoin ETF is out there.

“More and more fund managers are interested in starting to add up to 5% of their portfolio into Bitcoin.

“But ultimately one of the most interesting things is companies more and more will start keeping part of their unused balance sheet in Bitcoin… and that will grow over time.”

Stablecoins are also at the forefront of retail interest in crypto.

Intergovernmental blockchain expert Anndy Lian, speaking to Techopedia about Tether, said:

“Tether is a remarkable achievement in the cryptocurrency space, as it provides a stable and convenient way to use fiat currencies on the blockchain.

“USDT as stablecoins that are pegged 1-to-1 with a matching fiat currency are widely adopted across major exchanges, OTC desks, and wallets, and have surpassed Bitcoin in terms of trading volume.

“USDT is a sign of how useful stablecoins are in the world, as they bridge the gap between the traditional and the digital financial systems.

“They offer the benefits of both worlds: the stability and familiarity of fiat currencies, and the speed and transparency of the blockchain. It also reduces the volatility and complexity that are often associated with cryptocurrencies, making them more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.

Tether’s reliance on a “trust me” status has raised doubts and suspicions among some investors and observers, who question the legitimacy and sustainability of Tether’s operations.

“Fast forward to today, Tether has refined its operations and is the widely used stablecoin in the world now. In my humble opinion, doubts about them have gone down a lot.”

“Stablecoins are becoming increasingly important,” according to Dina White, General Counsel at Zodia Markets, a digital asset brokerage and exchange platform.

“We are seeing this at Zodia Markets, particularly due to cross-border payment efficiencies and cost-savings. And they could become a widespread means of retail payment.”

Tether Strives for Legitimacy Amid Controversy

Tether’s growing popularity among crypto users extends to criminal groups, which are increasingly using USDT to transfer and launder money.

A recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report on organized crime in East and Southeast Asia (PDF) found that “USDT on the TRON155 blockchain has become a preferred choice for regional cyberfraud operations and money launderers alike due to its stability and the ease, anonymity, and low fees of its transactions.”

The report added: “Between September 2022 and September 2023, a recent fund audit of USDT-based transactions by one independent blockchain data analysis company found transactions totaling 17.07 billion USDT connected to underground currency exchanges, illegal commodity trades, unlawful collection and payment processes, and various criminal activities.

“Law enforcement and financial intelligence authorities in East and Southeast Asia have also reported USDT among the most popular cryptocurrencies used by organized crime groups, demonstrated by a surging volume of cyber fraud, money laundering, and underground banking-related cases.”

Tether responded to the report with criticism that “the UN’s analysis ignores the traceability of Tether tokens and the proven record Tether has of collaborating with law enforcement.

“We are disappointed in the UN’s assessment that singles out USDT highlighting its involvement in illicit activity while ignoring its role in helping developing economies in emerging markets, completely neglected by the global financial world simply because servicing such communities would be unprofitable for them.

“Rather than focusing solely on risks, the UN should also discuss how centralized stablecoins can improve anti-financial crime efforts.”

Tether stated that it collaborates with the US Department of Justice (DoJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the US Secret Service (USSS) to monitor USDT tokens, ensuring that traceability surpasses “traditional banking systems that for decades have been the vessel for laundering substantial sums proven by the fines that have been levied on them.”

Tether has also developed a tool to monitor secondary markets with blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.

“Tether tokens, using public blockchains, make it possible to meticulously track every transaction, making it an impractical choice for illicit activities. This is evident in our freezing of more than US$300 million within the last few months, showcasing our commitment to combating the criminal use of cryptocurrencies,” the statement added.

Is Growing Tether Usage Supported by Real Value?

Launched in 2014, Tether has long been controversial because of speculation about whether the full value of USDT in circulation is backed by real collateral.

In 2021, Tether paid fines of $41 million to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and $18.5 million to the New York Attorney General’s Office for falsely claiming that USDT was backed by US dollars on a 1:1 basis between 2016 and 2019.

The company now publishes daily reserve data, monthly reports, and quarterly reviews breaking down its reserves, which it says are independently audited.

Its most recent report for December 2023 showed total cash holdings of $82.1 billion, $3.5 billion in precious metals, $2.8 billion in Bitcoin, $3.8 billion in other investments, and $4.8 billion in secured loans, along with $44 million in corporate bonds.

 

 

 

Source: https://www.techopedia.com/usdt-hits-100-billion-milestone-as-tether-plans-stablecoin-recovery-tools

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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Anndy Lian’s Comments Quoted “DeFI as an open financial ecosystem where you can build various small financial tools and services in a decentralized manner.”- Associated Press

Anndy Lian’s Comments Quoted “DeFI as an open financial ecosystem where you can build various small financial tools and services in a decentralized manner.”- Associated Press

Thanks for taking my comments BitBerry. I got to know about this wallet from UpBit in their early days. Glad to see that they are moving along with the times and working with new partners to expand their business.

Anndy Lian, a DeFI expert and also a Member of Gyeongsangbuk-do Blockchain Special Committee, Government of the Republic of Korea added:

“I am a user of BitBerry and I do see the importance for their wallet to move with the times and embrace DeFI. DeFI as an open financial ecosystem where you can build various small financial tools and services in a decentralized manner. Thanks to their existing framework, BitBerry’s non-custodial nature can let users safely store their own funds without having to rely on third-party institutions to hold their assets. And by partnering with OKEx and listing OKB to their wallet, this has opened up new opportunities for the current users.”

 

 

BitBerry Signs MOU with OKEx, a world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange

 

South Korea, Seoul — BitBerry signs MOU with OKEx, a world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange to work together in the cryptocurrency industry. On the signed document, both parties agree to help each other in the markets that they are active in and also look at listing OKB onto BitBerry’s wallet.

BitBerry, founded in 2016 is a leading cryptocurrency wallet in South Korea with over 100,000 users. They aim to make money transfer simple, easy and secure globally based on blockchain technology.  While, OKEx is a world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, offering the most diverse marketplace where global crypto traders, miners and institutional investors come to manage crypto assets, enhance investment opportunities and hedge risks.

The community members from BitBerry who heard of the plans to include OKB into their wallets spark new excitement in the forum. OKB is a globally available ERC-20 utility token issued by the OK Blockchain Foundation that gives users of the OKEx trading platform various exclusive benefits. OKEx also has a buy-back and burn program for OKB tokens, whereby 30% of spot trading fee income is allocated to acquiring OKB from the secondary market each quarter. In terms of performance, OKB posted gains of 287.96% in 2019 and according to date from CoinGecko, OKB topped the list of the 30 digital cash in the first quarter of 2020, with a 148% increase. A crypto analytics firm  Messari, the annual return on investment of OKB is as high as 62%, which is far above the industry average.

Jae Bum Yoo, CEO of BitBerry said: “Having OKB listed on our wallet is a gateway for our platform to grow globally. OKB is a top 20 coin according to CoinGecko.com and Blockreview.net, we want our users to be exposed to coins and products ranging from DeFI, payments and security to cryptocurrency trading bots that come together with the OKB ecosystem. This will be win-win-win for all parties. We will work hard to make it happen earlier for our users.”

BitBerry has more than 100,000 users on their platform currently and many of the users are also keen to know more about OKB and experience DeFI services that comes in the ecosystem. For example, once the integration and listing of OKB is completed on BitBerry, OKB now can be used as  collateral in C2C loans  on OKEx. Users can borrow USDT by pledging OKB without incurring any service fees and take advantage of the minimum interest on borrowing, which is as little as 0.01% per day.

Connecting Wallet to DeFI

DeFI or commonly known as decentralized finance refers to financial services, including lending, exchanges, investment, stablecoins, and more, is currently the buzz word in the cryptocurrency space. Financial services are bounded by smart contracts, which are automated enforceable agreements that do not require intermediaries like a bank or lawyer and use online blockchain technology instead.

BitBerry is ready for this space and it is ideal integrating their wallet to OKEx’s full suite of trading products for on DEX such as Uniswap. Anndy Lian, a DeFI expert and also a Member of Gyeongsangbuk-do Blockchain Special Committee, Government of the Republic of Korea added: “I am a user of BitBerry and I do see the importance for their wallet to move with the times and embrace DeFI. DeFI as an open financial ecosystem where you can build various small financial tools and services in a decentralized manner. Thanks to their existing framework, BitBerry’s non-custodial nature can let users safely store their own funds without having to rely on third-party institutions to hold their assets. And by partnering with OKEx and listing OKB to their wallet, this has opened up new opportunities for the current users.”

Planting Seeds for Regional Growth

While BitBerry is a known brand in South Korea, they allow users to transfer money via phone numbers by issuing a unique address based on the unique phone number. The login process is simple and authentication can be triggered using KakaoTalk or fingerprint recognition via Kakao Pay. The strong case study in South Korea gave them more confidence in the regional market.

BitBerry’s sales and marketing spokesperson also highlighted that they are already working with more corporate clients regionally who want to utilize BitBerry’s technology for retail and other commercial purposes. They are continuing its efforts to move beyond its shores into South East Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines as their next target markets. The regional growth plans will expand more effectively with the help of the MOU with OKEx.

 

About BitBerry ( www.bitberry.app)

Founded in 2016 is a leading cryptocurrency wallet in South Korea with over 100,000 users. BitBerry aims to make money transfer simple, easy and secure globally based on blockchain technology. MonsterCube is the owner of BitBerry and also SODAcoin that is already listed on Bithumb.

 

About OKEx ( www.okex.com)

A world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, OKEx offers the most diverse marketplace where global crypto traders, miners and institutional investors come to manage crypto assets, enhance investment opportunities and hedge risks.

 

Press Contact

Name: Jenny Zheng

Title: Editor

Email: contact@blockcast.cc

Web: www.blockcast.cc

 

 

Source: https://apnews.com/press-release/kisspr/technology-business-financial-technology-seoul-south-korea-61100ffaa3e727fc3827735d699af011

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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