Tether (USDT)

Tether (USDT) is the largest stablecoin by market capitalisation and one of the most traded assets in all of crypto. Issued by Tether Limited, a company with corporate connections to the iFinex group that owns Bitfinex, it was first launched in 2014 as "Realcoin" before being renamed Tether. Each USDT token is designed to track the US dollar at a one-to-one ratio, with Tether Limited claiming to hold reserves of assets sufficient to back every token in circulation. USDT is issued across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum (as an ERC-20 token), Tron, Solana and others, making it a ubiquitous settlement layer across the crypto market and the dominant trading pair on most centralised and decentralised exchanges.

Stablecoins like USDT serve a practical function in crypto markets: they let traders and DeFi users hold a dollar-denominated asset without leaving the blockchain ecosystem, avoid the friction of converting to fiat between trades, and park value during volatile periods. USDT is also extensively used for cross-border transfers in regions where access to US banking is limited, because it can be sent peer-to-peer on public blockchains to anyone with a wallet address.

Tether Limited has faced significant and prolonged scrutiny over the composition and transparency of its reserves. In 2021 it settled with the New York Attorney General over allegations that it had misrepresented how it backed USDT, paying a fine without admitting wrongdoing. Earlier it settled with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission over similar allegations. Tether now publishes quarterly attestations from an independent accounting firm, but has not released a full public audit. Its reserve portfolio has shifted over time from an earlier, more diverse mix toward a higher proportion of US Treasury bills. The absence of a fully audited reserve remains a regularly cited risk factor by analysts.

A peg is a target, not a guarantee. USDT has maintained its dollar peg through several severe market disruptions, but other stablecoins have failed to maintain their peg. Holding USDT exposes the holder to Tether Limited's counterparty risk, the creditworthiness of assets in its reserve portfolio, and smart-contract risk on whichever chain the tokens are held. The prediction model on this page is not relevant to USDT in the same way as volatile assets. This page is information only and is not financial advice; always do your own research.

O USDT pode ser mantido em uma corretora regulamentada ou em uma carteira de autocustódia compatível com a respectiva blockchain (Ethereum, Tron, Solana etc.). Para saldos grandes, uma carteira de hardware reduz o risco de roubo remoto. Tenha em mente que manter USDT em autocustódia ainda expõe você ao risco de contraparte do emissor, não apenas ao risco de custódia.

Sua frase de recuperação é o backup mestre de qualquer carteira de autocustódia — guarde-a offline e nunca a compartilhe. Isto é uma informação geral, não um conselho financeiro.