Tether Sees a 13% Increase in User Base Amid Economic Unrest

In This Article

USDT Sees Increased Adoption Despite Economic Instability
Transparency Still A Major Regulatory Hurdle For Tether

The current global economic volatility has resulted in the adoption of USDT, issued by Tether, as a haven to store funds for worldwide investors, prompting a 13% increase in the company’s user base.

Tether’s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, celebrated this milestone on 14 April 2025 through a viral meme post from The Simpsons. In the image shared by Ardoino, USDT Tether is depicted as coffee being poured from a jug into a cup held by Lisa Simpson, symbolizing Tether stablecoin users receiving additional USDT in their on-chain wallets.

Moreover, last month, Ardoino announced Tether surpassing 400 million global users. However, the stablecoin issuer has yet to disclose exactly how many users it has on its platform in Q1 of 2025.

Today Tether USDt has (conservatively) more than 400 million users across the world. Soon 1 billion.

We always focused on the adoption from the ground up, working in the streets, among other people, while traditional finance was watching at us from their ivory towers.

That's…

— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) March 27, 2025

As of this writing, Tether still holds the title of the largest stablecoin issuer. It commands a market cap of $144 billion and ranks third overall on the crypto charts, just behind Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Circle, Tether’s closest rival, ranks 7th on the crypto charts, with a market cap of $60 billion.

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USDT Sees Increased Adoption Despite Economic Instability

Tether’s ability to keep the USDT pegged 1:1 to the dollar has attracted those who want to diversify away from traditional financial systems in times of economic instability.

Moreover, US President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day blanket tariffs on any product entering the US caused global economic uncertainties. Since then, Trump has declared a 90-day tariff pause for the countries that are willing to negotiate.

While most countries are subjected to a reduced 10% tariff, China faces an increased tariff of 145%, highlighting the ongoing trade tensions and prompting many users worldwide to park their funds in stablecoins. They are less volatile than other digital assets, and evidently, users are better protected from market volatility.

In light of the changing US regulations, Tether is considering creating a stablecoin for the US market. According to Ardoino, if the government makes the rules competitive, Tether will consider developing a domestic token for use as a settlement currency within the US. At the moment, $144 billion of Tether tokens are in circulation, but the company does not accept customers in the US.

Furthermore, on 14 April 2025, Tether announced its intention to deploy both existing and future hash rates on OCEAN, a mining pool launched by Bitcoin core developer Luke Dashjr. OCEAN uses the open-source DATUM protocol to enable miners to create their own block templates, therefore reducing their dependency on centralised intermediaries as well as boosting censorship resistance.

Ardoino emphasized, “As a company committed to financial freedom and open access, we see supporting decentralization in Bitcoin mining as essential to the network’s long-term integrity.”

Tether aims to implement OCEAN’s DATUM Gateway across its global mining operations, including underserved regions like parts of Africa.

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Transparency Still A Major Regulatory Hurdle For Tether

While Tether celebrates its growth, things are not entirely seamless. The company still faces scrutiny over its reluctance to address concerns regarding its reserves, which has seen the delisting of USDT from major crypto exchanges in Europe.

Also, concerns regarding the misuse of USDT for money laundering have emerged. According to a report published by The Global Times on 13 April 2025, nine individuals in China received prison sentences and fines for their involvement in a telecommunication fraud scheme targeting Indians.

💥BREAKING NEWS:
"Major Crypto Crime Uncovered"

A Chinese fraud ring allegedly laundered over $6 million in Tether (USDT) from 66,800 Indian victims, according to reports.#USDT #Tether #Crypto pic.twitter.com/s3UndKb8Jr

— scoopist (@scoopistin) April 14, 2025

The operation defrauded 66,800 people of 517 million Indian rupees ($6.2 million) using fake investment platforms and false identities. According to the Indian Special Task Force (STF), the gang employed a multi-layered laundering process involving Indian bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, converting the funds to Tether, which they then sent to Chinese wallets.

Blockchain analysis revealed that the fraudsters employed ‘smurfing’ tactics—breaking large transactions into smaller ones to avoid detection—and used peer-to-peer platforms to swap fiat currency for USDT. Law enforcement agencies have already frozen several wallets, but the full extent of the fund movement is still under investigation.

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Key Takeaways

Tether’s user base grew 13% in Q1 2025 amid global economic instability, attracting users seeking safe financial havens.
Tether may look into developing a US-only stablecoin if the rules are competitive.
Tether will deploy both current and future hash rates on OCEAN.