stablecoins

Following the dramatic arrest of former president Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, during a military operation and his extradition to the United States, Venezuela is facing even harsher sanctions and deeper economic collapse. Yet amid the chaos, Tether’s stablecoin USDT continues to fuel the country’s oil trade and everyday payments for millions of citizens.
Despite hyperinflation, shattered trust in the national currency, and a failed banking system, USDT has become an essential survival tool.

State Oil Giant Uses Tether to Evade Banks and Sanctions
The country’s main oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, started using USDT to handle oil transactions after U.S. sanctions blocked access to traditional banking systems. Instead of wire transfers, buyers now send USDT through digital wallets, often using OTC brokers or setting up dedicated addresses for oil payments.
According to economists, this system allows Venezuela to:
🔹 Keep oil exports running despite banking restrictions

🔹 Track payments more transparently via blockchain

🔹 Maintain records even without a functioning financial infrastructure
Today, 80% of oil revenues are received in cryptocurrency, mainly USDT.

U.S. Authorities Track Wallets – Tether Joins the Effort
But the public nature of blockchain also drew the attention of U.S. law enforcement, which began tracking wallets tied to the oil trade. Tether reportedly cooperated and helped freeze wallets associated with suspicious transactions.
Investigators allegedly used these records to uncover how Maduro’s regime moved illicit funds, adding further pressure on the Venezuelan government.

USDT Becomes a Daily Currency for Venezuelans
While the state uses USDT for strategic trade, ordinary citizens turned to the stablecoin out of necessity.
After more than a decade of hyperinflation, the bolívar lost nearly all of its purchasing power. Wages couldn’t keep up with rising prices, and savings evaporated within days.
As faith in the bolívar collapsed, people began turning to USDT for:
🔹 Storing their savings in stable form

🔹 Receiving remittances from abroad

🔹 Daily transactions — groceries, bills, transport

USDT Used for Rent, Haircuts, and Repairs – Just Like Cash
Venezuelans now use Tether as a full replacement for their national currency. USDT is accepted for:
– Rent

– Haircuts

– Cleaning and gardening

– Home repairs

– Groceries and services
Small businesses and service workers trust USDT more than the bolívar, seeing it as safer and more reliable.

Peer-to-Peer Wallets Replace Banks – Communities Self-Educate
Despite the lack of clear crypto regulation, communities in Venezuela began sharing knowledge on how to use digital wallets:
🔹 How to install wallet apps on phones

🔹 How to send/receive USDT securely

🔹 How to avoid scams and high fees
Venezuelans didn’t adopt crypto because of tech enthusiasm — they adopted it because they had no other choice.

Petro Failed. Stablecoins Keep the Economy Running
The government once launched its own oil-backed digital currency, Petro, but it failed due to lack of public trust. In contrast, USDT – unaffiliated with the regime – earned wide acceptance.
Other factors like strict capital controls further forced citizens to seek alternatives. With limited access to cash or bank withdrawals, cryptocurrencies became a financial escape route.

Analysts: Stablecoins Are Keeping Poor Families Alive
Experts now agree:
Without USDT, many Venezuelan families would be completely excluded from the economy
Stablecoins bypass restrictive controls that hit regular people the hardest
A digital wallet is now a survival tool in a broken financial system

#USDT , #Tether , #CryptoNews , #Stablecoins , #venezuela

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Notice:
,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“

Tether has taken another bold step in its fight against crypto-related crime. In a single operation, the company froze $182 million worth of stablecoins held in five TRON-based wallets. According to investigations, the addresses were involved in suspicious and likely illegal activities — including trust scams and attacks on personal wallets.

Five Wallets Blacklisted in a Single Transaction

All funds were frozen in one swift transaction, with the addresses immediately added to Tether's blacklist. The move sends a clear message: USDT is being closely monitored, and any misuse will be acted upon.

Over $3.3 Billion Frozen to Date

Since 2023, Tether has frozen more than $3.3 billion in stablecoins. Most of this was on the Ethereum network (over $1.5 billion), but TRON is increasingly being targeted by scammers. Currently, more than 7,200 addresses are on the blacklist.

Fraud, Lack of KYC, and Iranian Links

Some of the frozen wallets are reportedly tied to users without verified identities (KYC) or to entities operating out of Iran, raising regulatory red flags. Freezing such addresses remains one of the few effective tools against fraud and money laundering.

T2 Financial Crime Unit in Partnership with TRON

In 2024, Tether established the T2 Financial Crime Unit, a task force created in cooperation with TRON to track and block illicit fund flows. The unit has already identified over $300 million in suspicious transactions.

TRON Network Grows Despite Risks

The TRON network now hosts more than 82 billion USDT tokens. Transactions typically align with Asian trading hours, and most transfers originate from wallets holding less than 100 USDT. The average transaction ranges between $100 and $1,000.

P2P Payments and Fraud Risks

TRON-based USDT remains a popular tool for peer-to-peer payments, but it's also widely used on fraudulent marketplaces. Only a small fraction of stolen funds can be recovered, as they're quickly scattered across hundreds of smaller wallets.

#Tether , #Tron , #USDT , #Stablecoins , #defi

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Notice:
,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“

U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase is heading toward a direct confrontation with lawmakers. If the new crypto legislation restricts its ability to pay rewards to customers holding stablecoins, the company is threatening to withdraw its support for the bill entirely. That could derail or delay one of the most significant regulatory efforts for digital assets in the country.
The bill — expected to be unveiled Monday and debated Thursday in a Senate committee — aims to set clear rules for digital assets. But Coinbase insists that the regulation of rewards should be limited to transparency requirements, not outright bans or heavy restrictions.

Banks Want Limits — Coinbase Defends Open Market Competition
The draft bill includes proposals that would allow only licensed financial institutions to offer interest or yield on stablecoins, a move strongly supported by traditional banks. They argue that rewards offered by crypto exchanges draw deposits away from bank accounts and undermine their lending capacity.
Coinbase has applied for a federal trust charter, which could eventually give it permission to offer such rewards under stricter oversight. But the company also wants crypto platforms to retain the ability to offer these services without being required to obtain full licensing, warning that tighter rules would hurt fair market competition.

What’s at Stake: $1.3 Billion and USDC’s Market Dominance
For Coinbase, this is more than a matter of principle. Stablecoin rewards are a major source of revenue, especially during bear markets.
In partnership with Circle, the issuer of USDC, Coinbase earns a share of the interest income generated from the underlying reserves. Coinbase promotes USDC actively and currently offers customers a 3.5% yield on holdings through Coinbase One.
If new laws shut down this offering, users may move their stablecoins elsewhere, and according to Bloomberg, Coinbase could lose up to $1.3 billion in annual revenue from this segment.

GENIUS Act Didn’t Solve the Problem — Banks Are Still Pushing Back
The GENIUS Act, passed in July 2025, bans stablecoin issuers from paying interest directly, but still allows external partners like Coinbase to offer rewards based on account balances.
Banking groups say that this loophole diverts deposits away from local banks and weakens access to credit for small businesses, students, and farmers.
“Crypto exchanges aren’t FDIC-insured, don’t offer loans, and don’t take responsibility — but they’re siphoning off our customers,” banks argue.
Coinbase counters that stablecoin rewards help protect the dollar’s global dominance. Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad pointed out that China has already begun testing interest-bearing digital yuan, signaling future global competition.

Trump’s Administration Backed Crypto — but the Bill Is Stalling
Trump’s second term has been crypto-friendly. The GENIUS Act brought the first nationwide rules for stablecoin issuers, prompting even traditional financial firms — and Trump’s own family — to rush into the market. The USD1 stablecoin, launched by World Liberty Financial, debuted just before the law came into force.
Despite this, the broader crypto legislation is now hitting resistance. The battle over rewards has split bipartisan support, and Coinbase’s threat to withdraw adds real pressure to an already fragile process.
Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Nathan Dean now estimates that the likelihood of passing the bill before June 2026 has dropped below 70%.

Seeking Compromise: Regulation Might Become Selective
One compromise under discussion would allow only federally chartered or licensed institutions to offer stablecoin rewards.
Five crypto firms have already secured preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to become national trust banks — but traditional banking groups strongly oppose this, claiming it undermines the purpose of a charter and poses systemic risks.
Even if restrictions pass, industry insiders believe crypto firms will find new workarounds.
“There’s no world where we can’t reward users for actions inside apps,” said William Gaybrick, president of technology and commerce at Stripe. “If you’re holding stablecoins in an app, that app will find a way to credit you — one way or another.”

Conclusion: Lawmakers Trapped Between Dollar Stability, Banks, and Crypto Innovation
Congress is now caught between pressure from the White House, economic lobbying from crypto companies, and resistance from traditional banks — and the clock is ticking.
Whether lawmakers can deliver a balanced bill that protects consumers, fosters innovation, and preserves the dollar’s strength, remains uncertain.

#coinbase , #Stablecoins , #USDC , #DigitalAssets , #CryptoRegulation

Stay one step ahead – follow our profile and stay informed about everything important in the world of cryptocurrencies!
Notice:
,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“