United States Dog Token narxiUSDT

Tethers USDT processed $156 billion in payments of $1,000 or less in 2025, according to figures shared today by CEO Paolo Ardoino, based on Chainalysis and Artemis data. The number highlights a side of crypto adoption often missed by price charts and ETF flows everyday transactional use. USDT is Being Used as a Substitute for Banks and Cash Small-value transfers now represent a meaningful share of USDT activity. The data shows steady growth since 2020, with acceleration through 2024 and into 2025, as average daily volumes for sub-$1,000 transfers climbed above $500 million. This points to USDT functioning less as a trading instrument and more as a digital payments rail. USDT Payments Data Shared By Tether CEO. Source: X/Paolo Ardoino The significance lies in who uses stablecoins and how. Transfers under $1,000 typically reflect remittances, payroll, retail payments, savings movement, and peer-to-peer transfers, especially in emerging markets. Unlike large exchange flows, these transactions tend to be non-speculative and recurring. In practical terms, USDT is increasingly acting as a substitute for cash and bank wires in regions where access to dollars is limited or expensive. This trend aligns with USDTs broader trajectory in 2025. Circulating supply reached new highs during the year, reflecting demand for dollar liquidity beyond crypto trading. At the same time, regulatory developments reshaped where and how USDT circulates. In the US, the GENIUS Act clarified the legal framework for payment stablecoins, reinforcing institutional confidence in compliant dollar-backed tokens. In Europe, MiCA introduced stricter licensing rules, shifting some regulated platform activity away from USDT but not slowing global on-chain usage. Stablecoins Market Cap In 2025. Source: DeFilLama Tether has also expanded its infrastructure footprint. Recent investments in Lightning-based payment rails signal an effort to push USDT into faster, lower-cost settlement networks. Regional partnerships in Africa and the Middle East further indicate a focus on payments and financial access, not just exchange liquidity. Taken together, the $156 billion figure reframes the crypto adoption debate. While market cycles drive headlines, stablecoins continue to scale quietly as financial plumbing. The growth in small USDT payments suggests that, in 2025, crypto adoption is less about speculation and more about utility, resilience, and global dollar access. This shift may prove more durable than any bull market. Read the article at BeInCrypto

Kontigo is gaining traction by promoting a stablecoin-first banking model as a global alternative to traditional financial services. At the same time, its rapid rise has prompted skepticism within the crypto community. The model has raised questions over whether it can scale sustainably without repeating the missteps that have defined past industry failures. Kontigos Rapid Rise Draws Attention A new bank building its entire identity around stablecoins is rapidly climbing the ranks of the financial services industry. Kontigo positions itself as a stable-currency platform offering self-custodial wallet services that allow users to store value in Bitcoin and spend in local stablecoins, with all transactions recorded on the blockchain. On Tuesday, Kontigo CEO Jesus Castillo announced that the company had raised $20 million in a seed funding round to pursue its ambition of building the worlds largest bank. We just raised a $20M seed round to build the largest bank in the world.Kontigo crossed $30M in annual revenue, $1B in payment volume, and 1M users in under 12 months, with a team of six engineers and one designer.We are the fastest-growing stablecoin neobank in the world. pic.twitter.com/pOmQ6gSy2H Jesus A. Castillo F. (@jecastillof) December 16, 2025 Castillo also described Kontigo as the fastest-growing stablecoin neobank globally. He said the platform allows individuals and businesses to earn a 10% yield on digital dollars, use a stablecoin-linked card with Bitcoin cashback, and invest in tokenized US stocks, among other features. The leadership team says Kontigo aims to expand access to basic financial services to nearly 5 billion people worldwide. Prominent institutional investors, including Base and Coinbase Ventures, back the company. Despite gaining significant traction almost immediately, Kontigo has also faced skepticism. Some observers questioned whether it represents a familiar crypto narrative, one that has previously generated catastrophic consequences for the broader market. No-KYC Access Triggers Warning Signs Among the various benefits Kontigo has highlighted, the company has emphasized that users from anywhere in the world can open an account and begin transacting in USDC or USDT without having to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. While this approach may appear less bureaucratic on the surface, it quickly raised concerns among users and industry observers. KYC rules are designed to protect financial institutions from bad actors. They require identity verification and confirmation of customer legitimacy. Without such safeguards, both financial platforms and users face increased exposure to risks of fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing. Within the crypto industry, the absence of KYC standards has previously proven harmful for users relying on unprotected platforms. A multinational stablecoin operation Promising a fixed above-market yieldAnd access to tokenized stocksWith no KYCWhere have I seen all this before? pic.twitter.com/YAKiPpWH9B Zack Guzmn ♻️ (@zGuz) December 17, 2025 Last week, Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon was sentenced to 15 years in prison for orchestrating a $40 billion cryptocurrency fraud. Terras ecosystem operated without meaningful KYC controls, enabling vast sums of capital to enter the system anonymously and at scale. When confidence in its algorithmic stablecoin unraveled, that absence of oversight intensified the run on the network, limited transparency around fund flows, and amplified losses for millions of users. The case underscored how the lack of basic safeguards can transform rapid expansion into systemic collapse. The absence of KYC standards is not the only factor that has raised concerns about Kontigos mission. Yield Promises Test User Confidence Castillo clarified at one point that the 10% yield on USDC holdings comes from lending through DeFi protocol Morpho, exposure to US Treasury bills, and custody or yield-related services via Coinbase. Yet, critics said the numbers did not add up, raising concerns over the credibility of Kontigos advertised promises. Yields from these sources typically range between 3% and 7% annually, even when combined under current market conditions. be @kontigo_app a new Fintechoffer 10% yield on USDCwhen asked where does it comes from lie saying is lending in Morpho + Tbills + Coinbase math ain't mathing as those APRs are 5-7% short of 10%Ignore people who point this shortage any comments @jecastillof ? https://t.co/xegvZiODrg pic.twitter.com/blSKZLN7g7 Cisco | CryptoAlert (@CiscoCANFT) December 17, 2025 Skeptics questioned how Kontigo can sustainably offer a 10% return. They pointed to the possibility of undisclosed risk, leverage, or opaque strategies. Meanwhile, another user reported that a USDC transfer had not been credited to their wallet several hours after its initiation. For platforms that position themselves as banks or payment infrastructure, even short delays in fund availability can erode user confidence. Reliability and timely settlement are foundational expectations, regardless of transaction size. As Kontigo scales, its long-term credibility will depend less on growth claims than on execution and earned user trust. In a sector shaped by past failures, the company now faces mounting pressure to show that rapid expansion can be sustained without repeating the mistakes that have defined earlier crypto collapses. Read the article at BeInCrypto

USDT Dominance Signals Risk-Off Shift for Crypto Markets USDT dominance measures the share of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization that is held in Tether’s USDT stablecoin relative to all crypto assets. It’s calculated by dividing USDT’s market cap by the entire crypto market cap. Stablecoins like USDT are designed to hold a steady value — typically pegged 1:1 with the US dollar — so they’re used as safe havens during volatile market conditions.

Tether, issuer of the USDT USDT $1.00 24h volatility: 0.0% Market cap: $186.28 B Vol. 24h: $79.75 B stablecoin, has rolled out PearPass, a peer-to-peer (P2P) password manager designed to eliminate reliance on centralized cloud servers. The app stores credentials exclusively on users’ own devices and synchronizes data across devices via encrypted connections. According to the company, PearPass targets the growing risk posed by large-scale credential leaks and attacks on traditional password services. Tether frames the product as part of a broader strategy to build systems that remain functional and private even under regulatory pressure. --> Introducing🍐🔒 PearPass — the password manager that keeps your data on your devices. No servers to hack. No cloud to leak. Just pure local security. Follow @Pears_p2p Download the App https://t.co/gP9FIPn2dW pic.twitter.com/ObIuyfToMo — Tether (@Tether_to) December 17, 2025 This new app includes P2P synchronization, a built-in password generator, and end-to-end encryption powered by open-source cryptographic libraries. With PearPass, account recovery is handled using the user’s own keys, similar to a non-custodial wallet. Tether says the app is fully community-audited and has undergone an independent security assessment by Secfault Security, a firm focused on offensive security and cryptographic analysis. PearPass is designed to continue operating during outages and will be available as a free download across major platforms, with initial support centered on mainstream browsers. Part of the Pear and P2P stack PearPass is the first fully open-source application in the Pear ecosystem, a Tether-backed technology stack focused on P2P tools for sovereignty, privacy, and security. Pear provides a modular runtime and development environment used to build applications without centralized servers, tying into Tether’s work with Holepunch and Hypercore. This new tool joins the stack that Tether is developing with Holepunch, a platform for building serverless apps, and Keet, an encrypted calling and messaging app that runs directly between users’ devices. Even with these tools, like Holepunch and Synonym, have also launched Pear Credit, a P2P credit protocol for issuing gift cards, reward points, and tokenized credit. To date, they have launched at least 5 P2P applications within their Pear ecosystem. Tether’s broader tech expansion PearPass sits alongside a growing list of products and investments that take Tether beyond stablecoins into infrastructure, AI, and cybersecurity. The firm has established dedicated divisions, including Tether Data, to develop the platforms mentioned and AI tools, such as a decentralized AI SDK, translation services, voice assistants, and a Bitcoin BTC $85 972 24h volatility: 1.8% Market cap: $1.72 T Vol. 24h: $48.67 B wallet assistant, that run locally on user hardware. These moves, together with investments in AI and energy ventures, position Tether as a broader technology provider focused on local-first, user-controlled systems rather than purely as a stablecoin issuer. next José Rafael Peña Gholam is a cryptocurrency journalist and editor with 9 years of experience in the industry. He wrote at top outlets like CriptoNoticias, BeInCrypto, and CoinDesk. Specializing in Bitcoin, blockchain, and Web3, he creates news, analysis, and educational content for global audiences in both Spanish and English. José Rafael Peña Gholam on LinkedIn Share: