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Tether (USDT) is what’s known as a stablecoin, meaning a digital currency that attempts to offer investors price stability through a mechanism that allows it to remain pegged to the value of a specific asset. In USDT’s case, its value is pegged to that of the U.S. dollar.
Stablecoins often represent a blockchain-based version of fiat currencies or commodities and allow investors to escape the volatility the cryptocurrency market is known for. Several companies and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects offer stablecoin-related services, including lending and borrowing.
USDT is issued by a centralized entity and isn’t mineable. The entity behind the stablecoin can freeze the balance of addresses on the Ethereum network, and has done so on a number of occasions in response to law enforcement requests and international sanctions.
USDT is one of various stablecoins launched by a company called Tether, which has issued a number of other cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of fiat currencies, including to the Chinese Yuan and to the Euro. The company also offers a gold-backed token called Tether Gold (XAUT).
Tether was launched as RealCoin back in July 2014, and rebranded to its current name in November of that year. Tether’s most popular stablecoin is USDT, and it was originally launched on the Bitcoin blockchain.
USDT is now supported on a number of blockchains, including Bitcoin's Omni and Liquid protocols, Ethereum, TRON, EOS, Algorand, Solana, OMG, Polkadot, Avalanche, and Bitcoin Cash’s Standard Ledger Protocol.
Tether’s adoption has been so great that as of September 2022, it’s the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, behind only Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Tether dominates the stablecoin market, with its largest competitors being USD Coin (USDC) and BinanceUSD (BUSD).
Stablecoins use a variety of methods to maintain their peg to the value of the assets they represent on the blockchain. While government-issued fiat currencies remain stable through monetary policy enacted by central banks, stablecoins reach their stability through other systems.
These systems can be as simple as having collateral to back up redemptions of their token for the asset. Other systems include being overcollateralized with cryptocurrencies, using algorithms to maintain the peg, and using seigniorage and adjusting their supply as necessary.
Tether’s USDT is backed by reserves in cash and cash equivalents, allowing token holders to redeem their USDT for USD. Tether gold, for example, is backed by physical bars of gold. By allowing redemptions, USDT’s value remains at $1.
During periods of heightened market stress USDT’s peg to the U.S. dollar has been lost, but it has ended up recovering over time.
USDT is a widely adopted stablecoin with a variety of use cases. The cryptocurrency is used to bridge the gap between cryptocurrency markets and the traditional financial system, with many preferring to use cryptocurrency debit cards filled up with USDT because the stablecoin is based on a blockchain.
Being blockchain-based means that USDT can be easily transferred to any address, at any time for a very low transaction fee. Thanks to DeFi protocols and exchanges’ savings programs, many cryptocurrency users also save using USDT and other stablecoins.
USDT is also used as a payment method at thousands of merchants throughout the world. Its primary use case is arguably to help minimize volatility in an investor’s portfolio, and as a safe haven during periods of extreme market volatility.
Try our free Tether (USDT) portfolio tracker if you want to efficiently keep track of your USDT and other coin/token investments.