Tether

Circle is preparing a broad expansion across emerging and developing markets as demand for digital-dollar payments grows in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The push comes as USDC competes with Tether’s USDT for stablecoin market share and as clearer rules encourage wider adoption.

Patrick Witt’s departure leaves President Donald Trump’s White House without a named official leading its digital assets office. The vacancy arrives as crypto market-structure legislation faces political delays and the administration’s new AI role no longer appears to include crypto policy.

Ledger is developing Atom, an Android powered hardware wallet scheduled for release in mid 2027, with everyday app support and a protected mode for managing digital assets. The launch plan follows the CryptoBilis supply chain breach and includes new tamper defenses, direct website sales and no trade in program for affected customers.

Ledger says some hardware wallets sold by Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis contained an unauthorized implant that captured recovery phrases from device screens and transmitted them over a mobile network. Onchain researchers estimate the CryptoBilis-linked thefts drained up to $93.2 million across more than 300 wallets, while Ledger says its software and secure element were not compromised.

Tokenized commodities are moving past simple exposure to gold prices as firms explore lending, leasing and energy-market settlement. Precious metals remain the clearest path, while oil, Brent and natural gas tokens face tougher custody, storage and logistics tests.

Senator Richard Blumenthal is seeking detailed information from Cantor Fitzgerald about its financial relationship with Tether, the issuer of USDT. The inquiry comes as Democrats’ chances of gaining Senate control rise, potentially giving crypto critics stronger investigative authority.

European Union crypto platforms face a three-month deadline to remove customer exposure to stablecoins that do not meet MiCA requirements. The guidance does not name tokens, but USDT and PYUSD are prominent examples of stablecoins not authorized under the framework.

Polygon Labs has expanded Open Money Stack with TRON support, allowing payment firms, fintechs and remittance providers to build USDT payment flows through a single integration. The move connects TRON’s large stablecoin footprint with supported EVM networks while leaving licensing and compliance responsibilities with the businesses using the service.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan, Tether and the Alatau City Authority have signed an agreement to explore a local currency-linked stablecoin and tokenized real-world assets. The initiative remains exploratory, with a pilot proposal expected but no commitment to issue a stablecoin or adopt Tether technology.

Tether’s USDT is expected to return to the Bitcoin network this month through infrastructure developed by Utexo. The project aims to support private stablecoin transfers, direct BTC-USDT swaps and native bitcoin-backed lending while limiting what appears on Bitcoin’s public ledger.

NEAR Intents says its monitoring system blocked attempted swaps tied to Bitget’s major exchange breach, freezing funds while allowing a smaller amount to pass through. The intervention has sparked a broader industry debate over what permissionless infrastructure means when stolen assets enter cross-chain liquidity routes.

Senate Democrats allege that Tether’s USDT has become a major tool inside Iran’s cryptocurrency based shadow banking network. Tether says it works with authorities and has supported nearly $550 million in Iran linked freezes.

The attacker behind Bitget’s $387.5 million breach has moved about $83 million in stolen XRP from three holding wallets, while roughly $75 million remains in the original accounts. Bitget says its protection fund will cover the loss, customer balances are unaffected, and withdrawals are scheduled to resume in stages from Sept. 28 through Oct. 2.

Binance’s investment in Circle and a new five-year commercial agreement could deepen USDC’s reach across global crypto trading and emerging markets. Analysts see stronger distribution for USDC, though Tether’s entrenched liquidity and user habits remain major barriers to a rapid market-share shift.

Tether said its exposure to EQIBank is less than 0.034 percent of total assets after a U.S. asset seizure involving the lender’s payment processor. The case underscores persistent counterparty risk across fiat banking networks used by stablecoin issuers, while offering no apparent immediate threat to USDT reserves or its dollar peg.

Circle and Tether have blacklisted a wallet tied to the Bitget exploit, trapping about $318,000 in USDT and USDC. The move addresses only a small portion of the stolen funds, with more than 63,000 ETH still sitting in exploiter addresses that cannot be frozen by an issuer.

Qivalis CEO and founder Jan-Oliver Sell says trade finance is increasingly moving onto stablecoin rails, changing how collateral and payments move across borders. The euro-pegged stablecoin issuer has onboarded 37 European banks in the past year and is nearing an EMI license in the Netherlands.

Tron has evolved from a content-distribution concept into one of crypto’s busiest settlement networks, with stablecoin transfers recently running at roughly $150 billion to $190 billion per week. Its long-term investment case now hinges on USDT activity, low transaction costs, TRX utility and the direction of stablecoin regulation.

The European Central Bank is inviting e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants to participate in a 12-month digital euro pilot beginning in the second half of 2027. The test will examine online, offline, in-store, mobile and peer-to-peer payments using a beta version that resembles the digital euro but is not legal tender.

Iran’s central bank has reportedly eased foreign-exchange controls, allowing exporters to bring overseas earnings home through cryptocurrencies including USDT and bitcoin. The shift is aimed at keeping trade moving under tightening U.S. sanctions, though crypto payment channels remain exposed to enforcement risks.

A cybersecurity assessment by Hacken found that roughly half of circulating USDT, about $91.3 billion on Tron, is governed by a contract that could be taken over with two signing keys. Bluechip still raised Tether’s corporate grade to C from D after a KPMG audit found reserves exceeded liabilities by $6.8 billion.

Pons, a token launchpad on Robinhood Chain, generated about $5.95 million in fees over 24 hours as memecoin trading accelerated. The surge pushed the app into the upper ranks of crypto fee generators while highlighting how user-created tokens are shaping early activity on Robinhood’s new blockchain.

Sberbank is preparing to expand its crypto backed lending program beyond bitcoin by accepting ether and Tether’s USDT as collateral once Russian regulators permit public circulation. The plan comes as Russia moves toward regulated crypto trading while stablecoin sanctions risk remains a key concern.

Sui is under renewed pressure after breaking below a key support level while trading activity surged sharply. Weak network usage, falling app fees, and a bearish technical setup have left traders watching whether SUI can avoid a deeper slide toward $0.55.