Tether officially launches ‘Made in America’ USAT stablecoin as mass TradFi adoption looms

Tether USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, is finally ready to tackle the lucrative American market with the official launch of its USAT stablecoin.

“Today’s launch marks the formal market introduction of USAT,” Tether said Tuesday in a statement. “USAT is now available to U.S. users seeking a dollar-backed token built to operate within the U.S.’ dedicated federal regime.”

Although Tether’s USDT stablecoin is primarily backed by USD-denominated reserves and has a market supply of $187 billion, the token is not available to U.S. customers, one of the world’s largest and most important markets for digital assets.

The introduction of USAT follows the U.S. Congress’s passing of stablecoin legislation in the form of the GENIUS Act last summer.

For several months, interest in stablecoins has been gaining momentum globally, with many traditional financial institutions on the verge of initiating large-scale implementation of the cryptocurrency, which is most often pegged to the U.S. dollar and backed by liquid assets like Treasurys.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said last week at the World Economic Forum that stablecoin adoption across the global banking system is accelerating and could drive baseline compound annual growth of about 40%. He added that banks are no longer treating stablecoins as experimental crypto products.

White House connections

Bo Hines, a former crypto policy advisor to the White House, will help oversee the launch of Tether’s new “made in America” stablecoin. Hines became CEO of Tether USAT last September.

“Our focus is stability, transparency, and responsible governance, ensuring that the United States continues to lead in dollar innovation,” Hines said Tuesday.

Tether first teased the idea of USAT last year when the company’s CEO Paolo Ardoino visited the U.S. for the first time amid Congress weighing the passage of stablecoin legislation, an initiative supported by President Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly administration. Tether had previously hoped to launch USAT by the end of last year.

“USDT has proven for more than a decade that digital dollars can deliver trust, transparency, and utility at a global scale,” Ardoino said Tuesday. “USAT extends that mission by providing a federally regulated product designed for the American market.”

U.S.-based Anchorage Digital Bank is the acting issuer of USAT, while Cantor Fitzgerald serves as the stablecoin’s “reserve custodian and preferred primary dealer.”

“For five years, we’ve operated as a federally regulated bank, purpose-built for digital assets. USAT reflects what’s possible when stablecoin issuance is done inside the U.S. banking system, under real supervision, with real accountability, at real scale,” Anchorage Digital CEO and co-founder Nathan McCauley said.

While Tether has, for over a year, worked hard to express a commitment to compliance, the company previously found itself in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities amid probes investigating whether or not the stablecoin issuer had participated in illicit activity.

USAT will initially be available on Bybit, Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX, and Moonpay, Tether said.

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