Oct 2, 2026
Tether confirmed freezing approximately $550 million in Iran-linked USDT in 2026, while a Senate Democratic report found USDT dominated activity in 84% of Iran- and proxy-linked wallets studied, calling it a 'significant financial lifeline' for the regime.
Decentralized cross-chain swap protocol Chainflip paused its network after losing 736,442.17 USDT through six unauthorized payouts when an attacker exploited its handling of TRON transaction memos. The protocol has announced users will be made whole.
Uniswap Labs has launched StablePair Hook, a Uniswap v4 dynamic-fee feature designed for stablecoin trading pairs like USDC/USDT. The hook enables liquidity providers to capture a portion of arbitrage profits generated from stablecoin trades, increasing their returns.
The U.S. Department of Justice seized Telegram channels operated by Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language illicit marketplace, while the Secret Service froze $52.8 million in USDT across 52 wallets on September 8. Treasury designated Xinbi as a criminal organization, citing its role in processing $24 billion in scam-related transactions.
Two Thai businessmen filed a lawsuit in New York federal court claiming Tether froze $42.4 million in USDT across 10 Ethereum addresses at an informal US law enforcement request, more than three months before a seizure warrant was issued. The plaintiffs allege the freeze was unlawful.
Two Thai businessmen filed a lawsuit against Tether in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging the stablecoin issuer froze approximately $42.4 million in USDT across 10 Ethereum addresses four months before any court authorization. The plaintiffs are challenging Tether's authority to blacklist their funds and seeking to recover the frozen assets.
Russia's largest bank announced plans to expand crypto-backed lending beyond Bitcoin, aiming to accept Ethereum and Tether's USDT as collateral as the country prepares new regulated crypto trading laws taking effect September 1.
Hong Kong's securities watchdog has declared broker SBCFX and its affiliated entities unlicensed following a trading collapse that left thousands of gold investors unable to recover their USDT deposits.
Russia's central bank will restrict retail cryptocurrency trading to only Bitcoin, Ether, and USDT on regulated exchanges beginning September 1, with non-qualified investors facing a 300,000-ruble annual limit.
The SUI/USDT trading pair closed at $0.67 on August 6, 2026, remaining below its 200-day exponential moving average of $1.01, while the crypto market Fear & Greed Index registered 25, indicating extreme fear among investors.
Coinbase is suspending six non-USD trading pairs including CRO/USDT and MINA/EUR effective August 6, while Binance is removing four spot trading pairs (QNT/BTC, RPL/USDC, SIGN/BNB, SKL/USDC) on August 7 and delisting six tokens (ACX, HFT, PIVX, PYR, VANRY, VIC) later in August, citing low trading liquidity and volume.
Tether posted $1.5 billion in net operating profit for Q2 2026, down from $4.9 billion in Q2 2025. The company's excess reserves dropped from $8.23 billion to $4.11 billion, while USDT supply reached $184.6 billion and gold holdings increased by 14 tons.
Uniswap has expanded beyond token trading with the launch of Earn, a self-custodial lending feature that allows users to deposit USDC, USDT, and ETH into Morpho vaults to generate yield directly within the Uniswap app. The product uses vaults curated by Gauntlet and integrates with Morpho's $11.79 billion lending network.
An attacker exploited a publicly accessible vault function in Crypto DAO on July 28, draining $8.2 million in USDT from the protocol. Security firm Blockaid flagged the exploit involving the access-control bug.
The BIS published research finding that USD-pegged stablecoins like USDT and USDC are largely unaffected by capital controls across 130+ economies, creating new channels for digital dollarization that challenge traditional monetary policy tools in emerging markets.
Financial operations platform Ramp announced the general availability of stablecoin accounts and payments for its customers, allowing businesses to hold, move, and account for fiat and stablecoin funds through one platform with integrated approvals, controls, and accounting. TheStreet reported that stablecoin deposits are supported across seven blockchain networks, including Solana.
Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has introduced a limited-time RLUSD Hold & Earn campaign running through August 19, 2026, offering eligible users a dynamically adjusted APR of up to 7% on qualifying Ripple USD holdings with no lock-up requirements and zero maker fees on the RLUSD/USDT spot trading pair.
Adjusted stablecoin transaction volume reached a record $1.79 trillion in June 2026, up 63% from May's $1.1 trillion, according to Visa data. Circle's USDC accounted for approximately 70% of the volume, extending its lead over Tether's USDT.
Russia's central bank announced that non-qualified retail investors will only be permitted to trade three cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT—beginning July 1, 2026, amid stagnant domestic crypto investment levels.
Buenos Aires prosecutors conducted 90 simultaneous raids targeting three fraud rings involving fake trading apps, WhatsApp hijacks, and Chinese-origin schemes, freezing more than 8 million USDT and arresting 24 individuals.
JPMorgan analysts reported that persistent hacks, including the $290 million KelpDAO exploit, and flat ETH-denominated growth are pushing investors toward Tether's USDT as users move funds out of DeFi during stress periods.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iran-linked cryptocurrency wallets containing $344 million in USDT that Tether had frozen following a law enforcement request. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the action is part of 'Economic Fury' efforts to choke off financial lifelines to the Iranian regime.
Maritime risk firm MARISKS warned that shipping companies stranded near the Strait of Hormuz are being targeted by scammers posing as Iranian authorities, demanding Bitcoin or USDT payments for 'safe passage,' with at least one ship potentially falling victim.
Tether announced a $150 million recovery program for Drift Protocol following the $280 million exploit, with the funding contingent on Drift switching from USDC to USDT as its primary settlement asset. The total recovery plan reaches $147.5-$148 million when combined with other sources.
Stablecoin issuer Tether transferred approximately $70 million in Bitcoin to its reserve wallet, bringing total holdings above 97,000 BTC worth over $7.1 billion as part of its strategy to allocate up to 15% of profits into Bitcoin.
Circle has unveiled plans to make its Arc layer-1 blockchain quantum-resistant from day one, allowing users to create wallets that can withstand future quantum computer attacks. The move comes amid growing concerns that 'Q-Day' may arrive sooner than anticipated.
Stablecoin monthly transaction volume reached $7.2 trillion in February 2026, exceeding the $6.8 trillion processed by the US Automated Clearing House (ACH) network for the first time. Total stablecoin supply reached $315 billion in Q1 2026.
Stablecoin issuer Tether has hired Big Four accounting firm KPMG to conduct its first full independent audit of USDT reserves and brought in PwC to prepare internal systems, according to the Financial Times. The move comes as Tether pursues regulatory approval under the GENIUS Act and eyes a multibillion-dollar equity raise.