Where is USDT demand coming from, and what risks do regulators see?

[bonk]

USDT usage is increasingly driven by emerging markets, where it functions as a “digital dollar”:

~570 million users reported globally (Q1 2026 estimate)
In Latin America, stablecoins account for 40% of crypto purchases, surpassing Bitcoin
Rising adoption in Africa for remittances and inflation hedging

Stablecoins are used for:

Dollar access in high-inflation economies
Faster and cheaper cross-border payments
Everyday savings and transactions

However, regulators are increasingly cautious. The Financial Stability Board warns that widespread US dollar stablecoin usage could:

Increase currency substitution risk
Reduce effectiveness of local monetary policy
Create dependencies on offshore dollar liquidity systems

In short: adoption is accelerating fastest where local financial systems are weakest—but that’s also where regulators see the biggest systemic risks.

[chainsniff]

Tether made $1.04 billion in profit in one quarter by holding US Treasury bills and charging nobody a fee to use USDT, the business model is so simple it looks made up until you see the balance sheet.