Tether’s U.S. Stablecoin Expected to Launch by Year-End or Early Next Year

Tether, the company behind the $148 billion stablecoin USDT, plans to launch its U.S.-focused stablecoin later this year or early 2026, depending on the nation’s stablecoin legislation, CEO Paolo Ardoino told CNBC in an interview. “Realistically, it depends on the timeline of the final legislation on stablecoins, but we are looking at [launching the product] by the end of this year or early next year at the fastest,” he said.

Ardoino mentioned that the firm’s flagship USDT token is designed for users in emerging markets with limited access to U.S. dollars, while the new offering would be a distinct product. “In the U.S., you have to create a payment product, something that could be used by institutions, something that can be a competitor of services like CashApp,” he stated in the interview. “That is what we are aiming for.”

Tether’s plans for a U.S.-based stablecoin highlight the firm’s growing presence in the market, particularly as regulatory pressure on crypto firms has eased. Ardoino toured the U.S. earlier this year, giving interviews and speaking at various events, including one hosted by Wall Street investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald. Cantor manages Tether’s over $100 billion U.S. Treasury holdings, and former CEO Howard Lutnick is currently serving as Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration.

Competition is also intensifying in the stablecoin market as U.S. federal legislative efforts to regulate stablecoins progress. This presents a significant opportunity: Citi projected that the sector could grow to a multi-trillion dollar industry by the end of the decade.