What Is Tether USDT? Understanding the US Dollar Stablecoin

what is tether

• Tether Limited Inc., incorporated in Hong Kong in 2014, is the company that launched and operates the Tether platform and issues the Tether tokens. There’s no argument that Tether’s demise would be catastrophic for the crypto industry, especially since USDC’s recent de-pegging. The purpose of this website is solely to display information regarding the products and services available on the Crypto.com App. You may obtain access to such products 15+ top bitcoin wallets compared 2020 and services on the Crypto.com App.

The Tether Reserves

what is tether

Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Crypto.com to invest, buy, or sell any coins, tokens, or other crypto assets. Returns on the buying and selling of crypto assets may be subject to tax, including capital gains tax, in your jurisdiction. Any descriptions of Crypto.com products or features are merely for illustrative purposes and do not constitute an endorsement, invitation, or solicitation. USDT is a pegged cryptocurrency, meaning its value is only as volatile as that of the U.S. dollar. Other examples are USD Coin (USDC), Binance USD (BUSD), and Dai (DAI).One of the benefits of tethering is that it allows investors to easily move money between cryptocurrency markets and the traditional financial system. Tether issues USDT stablecoins by minting and issuing them to KYC-ed users on their official website.

  1. This has made Tether a useful source of liquidity for the market, which helps to keep prices stable.
  2. This is a meta-protocol built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain that allows projects to create and trade their own currencies.
  3. Launched in 2014, Tether tokens (USD₮) pioneered the stablecoin model and are the most widely traded.
  4. This endeavor represents an extension of Tether’s existing groundwork in Thailand, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Africa where Tether has collaborated on educational initiatives to raise awareness and understanding of blockchain technology and stablecoins.

These assets generate returns for Tether in the form of dividends, interest, capital appreciation, or price appreciation. Tether also buys and sells these assets depending on market conditions and its liquidity needs. Stablecoins like Tether provide a low volatility digital asset that usually maintains a steady valuation. The value of a stablecoin is pegged to a stable asset like gold, the U.S. dollar or another fiat currency, which means the coin attempts to maintain the same value as its peg. This collaboration will empower Filipinos with financial knowledge through a series of educational programs developed by Coins.ph, tailored to diverse audiences.

According to Daniel Rodriguez, chief operating officer at Hill Wealth Strategies, the key difference between TetherUSD and Bitcoin is that Tether is tied to a non-crypto asset, the U.S. dollar. “It has a very questionable legal past, and to this day, its actual reserves are still quite opaque and believed to be substantially composed of unknown sources of commercial paper,” Carlton says. Willet implemented this idea with Mastercoin, and one of its original members would later become the co-founder of Tether in 2014.

How Do Tether Tokens Work?

Unlike most cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Tether isn’t “mined.” Instead, Tether Limited generates new tokens and issues them via crypto exchange Bitfinex following fiat currency being deposited into its reserves. Tether trading pairs are a common way to denominate prices in fiat currency, which most people can more readily understand. As many exchanges find it impossible to set up a fiat bank account, some have resorted to holding their funds in Tether tokens.

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!

When you purchase $100 in Tether, you how to buy davor coin would receive approximately 100 USDT tokens and the company would boost its reserves by $100 in order to maintain the 1-to-1 dollar peg. Tether tokens are destroyed and removed from circulation when users redeem the tokens for fiat currency. The stability of Tether comes from its currency reserves, as the company claims to hold dollars and other assets that are equal or greater than the total number of USDT in circulation. In other words, for every one Tether token in circulation, the company claims it owns one dollar in its reserves, either in cash or cash equivalents like short-term bonds or time deposits. These initiatives will be strategically designed to highlight the efficiency and accessibility benefits of using digital assets in a compliant manner for businesses and individuals across Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.

A pegged currency is often backed by reserves made up entirely or mostly of the pegged currency. A number of fiat founder david sønstebø steps down after iota boards unanimous decision currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar, including those of Panama and Saudi Arabia. This protects the currencies from extreme fluctuations in value, as their trading values move with the USD. Crypto traders use stablecoins like Tether to provide steady, reliable liquidity to get in and out of cryptocurrency trades without facing unpredictable losses from volatile price changes. “The Philippines is a nation brimming with potential for digital asset adoption”, said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.

These reserves are meant to back the value of each Tether token, providing confidence to users that they can redeem their tokens for US dollars at a 1-to-1 ratio. Launched in 2014, Tether tokens (USD₮) pioneered the stablecoin model and are the most widely traded. Tether tokens offer the stability and simplicity of fiat currencies coupled with the innovative nature of blockchain technology, representing a perfect combination of both worlds. Tether tokens can be bought and sold on cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, CoinSpot, Bitfinex, and Kraken.

Tether also launched MXNT, a stablecoin backed by the Mexican peso following earlier expansions into Europe (EURT) and China (CNHT). “One Bitcoin today will not be the same price of Bitcoin tomorrow, making it incredibly difficult to create pricing schemas for companies based solely on BTC,” says Bumbera. Stablecoins like Tether don’t make much sense as an investment because they aren’t meant to increase in value.