The stablecoin issuer said the crypto market was highly volatile during the first quarter.
Tether's approximate $141 billion exposure to U.S. Treasurys positions it as one of the largest holders globally.
Sens. Warren and Wyden are pressing Tether and Commerce Secretary Lutnick over a reported loan made to a trust tied to Lutnick’s children.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent letters to Howard Lutnick and Tether CEO Paulo Ardoino asking about a loan Tether reportedly made to Lutnick's family.
USDT0 is now the third-largest holder of Tether's USDT stablecoin, which it uses to back its multi-chain asset 1:1.
Agent Cards will enable AI agents to make purchases using a USDT balance without "requiring a human in every approval loop.”
Tether has moved to combine bitcoin treasury, mining, and financial services under one roof.
OKX customers can now use RLUSD 'to trade and collateralize positions across both spot and derivatives markets.'
RailsX launches with bitcoin-stablecoin pairs USDT-L and USDC-L from Speed Wallet, with users retaining full control of their keys.
The world's central banks stopped arguing about whether stablecoins are risky long ago. Their main concern now is about who will control them and how. On April 20, BIS General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos called for global cooperation on stablecoins, describing it as “critically important.” The Bank for International Settlements, often called the central bankers' […]
The post The world’s central banks are now treating stablecoins like a real multi-trillion dollar monetary threat appeared first on CryptoSlate.
A wave of crypto hacks hitting decentralized finance platforms in April has renewed an old argument: should stablecoin companies step in when stolen money passes through their systems? That question is now front and center again after Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, revealed it froze over $340 million in dollar-pegged tokens at the direct request of US law enforcement officials. Related Reading: Shariah-Compliant Stablecoin PUSD Moves Into MidEast Institutional Arena Community Divided Over Stablecoin Control The freeze targeted two separate wallet addresses. Tether said the funds were linked to unlawful conduct but gave no further detail about what the accounts were suspected of doing or who controlled them. The company coordinates freezes when it finds credible ties to sanctioned entities, criminal networks, or other illegal activity, according to its published policy. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino defended the action in a statement released alongside the announcement. “When credible links to sanctioned entities or criminal networks are identified, we act immediately and decisively,” he said. The company did not respond to further requests for comment. The freeze was carried out in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a US Treasury agency responsible for enforcing economic sanctions. That makes this more than a routine compliance move — it signals active cooperation between a major crypto firm and federal authorities at a time when regulatory pressure on the industry continues to mount. Not everyone welcomed the news. Crypto media outlet Truth for The Commoner pushed back sharply. “Your stablecoins are not your stablecoins. They never were,” the outlet posted on social media. The reaction reflects a tension that has existed since centralized stablecoins became widely used — the tokens may sit on a blockchain, but the company behind them holds a master switch. 3/ On April 1, 2026, Drift Protocol was exploited for $280M. The exploiter used CCTP to bridge 232M+ USDC from Solana to Ethereum across 100+ transactions over six consecutive hours. 10+ additional DeFi protocols across the Solana ecosystem were indirectly impacted. Despite the… https://t.co/RLDwKghzjo — ZachXBT (@zachxbt) April 3, 2026 A Debate Rekindled By A $280 Million Hack The announcement comes weeks after one of the month’s most damaging incidents — the Drift Protocol exploit, which drained $280 million from the platform. That attack put Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, under a different kind of scrutiny. Onchain analyst ZachXBT publicly criticized Circle for failing to freeze USDC funds after the attacker routed stolen money through Circle’s own native bridge over six consecutive hours. Related Reading: Consistent XRP Buys Could Deliver Outsized Gains By 2030: Finance Expert “No USDC was frozen,” ZachXBT noted, arguing that centralized issuers have a responsibility to act quickly when hacks are in progress. The criticism drew wide attention across the crypto community and intensified calls for clearer standards around when and how stablecoin issuers should intervene. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView
Strong earnings season trumps geopolitical risks for now, one trader said, as equities and crypto markets "stopped caring" about Iran war headlines.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is seeking to choke off "all financial lifelines" for the regime.
The move comes a day after Tether froze $344 million worth of USDT, which has now been linked to Iran, CNN reported.
A dollar-linked stablecoin built to meet Islamic finance standards is now operating on a new blockchain network anchored in the Middle East, adding a second digital currency to a settlement platform backed by some of Abu Dhabi’s biggest financial names. Related Reading: Consistent XRP Buys Could Deliver Outsized Gains By 2030: Finance Expert Backed By Gulf Currencies, Not Just The Dollar PUSD, issued by Palm Azgar Finance, holds reserves in Saudi riyals and UAE dirhams — both pegged to the US dollar — rather than holding US dollars directly. That structure is central to its Shariah-compliant design, which is aimed at institutions operating under Islamic finance rules that prohibit interest and require asset backing. The stablecoin has roughly $2.3 billion in circulation and runs on several major blockchains, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, and Tron. ADI Chain is its newest addition. ADI Chain was built as a settlement layer for a dirham-backed token that came out of a partnership between International Holding Company and First Abu Dhabi Bank. The Central Bank of the UAE licensed it. With PUSD now on board, institutions using the network can settle transactions in either a dollar-linked or dirham-denominated token operating on the same platform. The ADI Foundation says the network is designed to support payment corridors across the Gulf, broader Middle East, and parts of Africa. A $3 Trillion Market In The Crosshairs Islamic finance assets are estimated at more than $3 trillion worldwide, according to the ADI Foundation. That market has traditionally been served by conventional banks and funds operating under Shariah guidelines, but blockchain-based alternatives have struggled to break through at scale. Sharia Law At A Glance Shariah law forbids interest, limits speculation, and requires financial instruments to be backed by real assets — rules that disqualify most crypto products outright. For a stablecoin to meet that standard, it must hold verifiable reserves and generate no interest-based returns. Certification from a board of qualified Islamic scholars is typically required, though the report does not confirm whether PUSD has obtained one. PUSD’s move onto ADI Chain is a bid to change that, targeting corporate treasuries, exchanges, and payment processors looking for compliant digital settlement tools. The UAE has become one of the more active regulatory environments for stablecoins. Several frameworks have been put in place by the Central Bank and the Abu Dhabi Global Market, covering both dirham-pegged and dollar-denominated tokens. Related Reading: A New Phase For XRP? Integrations Keep Rolling In Across The Ecosystem Global Players Already In The UAE Space Approvals have also been extended to established names. Tether, Ripple USD, and Circle have all been cleared to operate within the ADGM financial zone by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority. That puts PUSD in a field that includes some of the largest stablecoin issuers in the world, competing for a share of institutional transaction flow in one of the region’s most active financial hubs. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
JPMorgan said persistent hacks appear to push investors toward Tether's USDT, as users move funds out of DeFi during stress.
The stablecoin issuer said the action followed U.S. law enforcement requests as global watchdog FATF warned of growing role of digital dollars in illicit money flows.
Tether says it froze $344 million in USDT on Tron in coordination with OFAC and U.S. law enforcement, one of the largest freezes on record.
The fintech provider has rolled out support for Ethereum, Solana and Plasma-issued USDT tokens across its entire product suite.
Greek maritime risk firm MARISKS warned shippers of fraudulent Hormuz transit demands paid in bitcoin or USDT, according to Reuters.
The Abu Dhabi regulated firm build infrastruture to distribute insitutional funds on blockchain rails, lowering entry barrier for investors.
The BIS warned stablecoins resemble ETFs, not money, and called for global rules to prevent fragmentation across the $300 billion market.
The aftershocks of the Saturday's KelpDAO hack are spreading through stablecoin markets in ways that were not immediately obvious.
USDT stablecoin issuer Tether has stepped in to anchor a massive recovery plan for Drift Protocol, the Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX) that was crippled by a $286 million exploit earlier this month. However, the rescue package includes a potent commercial string that could challenge Circle's dominance of USDC on the Solana blockchain. According to the recovery plan, Drift […]
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Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX) Drift Protocol has shared the highly anticipated user recovery plan alongside Tether and other collaborators. This move follows the major exploit that drained $285 million from the project’s vaults two weeks ago. Related Reading: Bitcoin Double Bottom Formation Eyes $82,500 Rally – Breakout Or Rejection Next? Drift Protocol Secures $150M Recovery Fund On Thursday, Drift Protocol, the largest decentralized perpetual futures exchange on the Solana blockchain, announced a collaboration with Tether and other partners to establish a “structured recovery plan backed by up to nearly $150 million in combined support” and relaunch with USDT “at the center.” According to the announcement, the funds include a $100 million revenue-linked credit line, an ecosystem grant, and loans to market makers, all intended to finance a dedicated user recovery pool. As NewsBTC reported, the Solana-based DEX suffered an exploit that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from its vaults on April 1. The attack took around $285 million in multiple crypto assets and became the largest exploit of 2026 to date. During the initial phase of the collaboration, a significant portion of exchange revenue, together with committed support capital, will be intended to fund this recovery pool, Drift explained, noting that any stolen funds recovered would be contributed to the pool. In addition, Drift revealed that it will issue a new token for the affected users to “streamline distribution of recovery assets as well as provide liquidity opportunities for impacted users.” The token will be a dedicated recovery token, separate from the DRIFT governance token, that is intended to represent a claim on the recovery pool and will be transferable. Solana DEX Eyes Hardened Security Framework The Solana-based project shared that it will harden its security, passing each component through independent audits by OtterSec and Asymmetric Research before relaunching the protocol. It will also introduce a new community-governed multisig to manage core protocol assets, requiring all multisig signers to operate on dedicated signing devices with transaction content independently verified outside the primary signing interface before any signature is executed. This aims to prevent similar attacks on the project. It’s worth noting that the malicious actors gained unauthorized access to Drift Protocol by manipulating its multisig approvals using Solana durable nonces. “The attack involved unauthorized or misrepresented transaction approvals obtained prior to execution, likely facilitated through durable nonce mechanisms and sophisticated social engineering,” the project explained on its first report. Since then, Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic has identified multiple indicators suggesting that the exploit is linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), while Drift has affirmed that the exploit was a six-month operation to infiltrate the protocol’s inner circle and compromise their devices. USDT Settlements ‘At The Center’ Of Drift The project also detailed that it will relaunch with Tether’s USDT for settlements. Tether reportedly proposed to extend a USDT support facility to designated market makers “to reinforce deep, liquid markets from day one.” “Drift’s decision to integrate USD₮ into the relaunch and recovery of a major trading venue on Solana reinforces Tether’s role as a reliable settlement asset within the Solana ecosystem,” Tether stated. The shift from USDC to USDT settlement represents a significant change, following Circle’s decision not to freeze the stolen USDC during the initial attack. Notably, the exploiter swapped $270.9 million of the stolen assets into USDC within hours, bridged them from Solana to Ethereum via the CCTP TokenMessengerMinterV2, and purchased 129,000 ETH, splitting them across multiple wallets. Related Reading: Bitmine’s Ethereum Holdings Hits 4% Supply Milestone After 71,524 ETH Buy At the time, multiple investors and on-chain investigators urged Circle to freeze the funds, with crypto sleuth ZachXBT slamming the stablecoin issuer for its repeated “inaction” over the past few years. Circle has since addressed the backlash, affirming that it does not act “unilaterally or arbitrarily” and freeze funds when “the law requires us to act.” Drift concluded that “this is the first step toward making users whole over time and toward building back stronger than where we were before.” Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Drift Protocol said it has secured up to $127.5 million from Tether to support user recovery after the April 1 exploit.
The money will be used by Drift to recover user funds after more than $270 million in clients assets were exploited this month, and will relaunch the protocol as a USDT-based perpetuals DEX on Solana.
Cantor Fitzgerald donated $10 million to a super political action committee backing pro-crypto candidates as election season ramps up.
The Stablecoin Development Corporation is a publicly-traded holding company with an approximately 2.15 billion SKY token treasury.
While Tether has been closely associated with the emerging political action committee, the opening funding came from Cantor Fitzgerald and Anchorage Digital.