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#USDT #USAT #Tether Is USDT getting a sibling? On September 12, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, Tether, officially announced it will launch USAT, a U.S.-market–focused, fully compliant U.S. dollar stablecoin. At the same time, Tether named former White House Crypto Council Executive Director Bo Hines as USAT’s CEO and confirmed the coin will go live before year-end, in compliance with the newly passed GENIUS Act in the United States. The news drew strong attention across the global crypto market and traditional finance. For years, Tether’s USDT has been viewed as an “offshore dollar,” with a market cap of $169 billion, accounting for 58% of the stablecoin market. Yet it has never fully entered the U.S. compliance framework. Now, the launch of USAT signals Tether is proactively filling that gap — moving into a new stage as an onshore dollar. So where are USAT’s core highlights? Why did Tether choose to roll out a compliant stablecoin now? What impact will this move have on the U.S. and global stablecoin markets? This article breaks it all down. Why Is Tether Launching USAT? From the outside, Tether hardly looks short on money. In 2024, Tether’s net profit hit $13 billion, and it even became one of the largest holders of U.S. Treasuries — surpassing countries like Germany, South Korea, and Australia. So why go to all the trouble to launch an entirely new, U.S.-compliant stablecoin? Mainly three reasons: 1. The massive potential of the U.S. market While USDT is hugely popular globally, it has long been suppressed in the U.S. by rival Circle’s USDC. Circle has leveraged compliance advantages and licenses to lock in U.S. enterprise and institutional users. As the world’s largest financial market, the U.S. is not somewhere Tether can remain absent forever. 2. Regulatory pressure forcing a shift The U.S. recently passed the GENIUS Act, explicitly requiring stablecoins to be backed 1:1 by cash or U.S. Treasuries and to undergo audits. USDT’s reserves include bitcoin, gold, and other assets — out of scope under the act. In other words, without a compliant product, Tether would be marginalized in the U.S. market. 3. A dual-track global strategy USDT will continue as the offshore dollar, serving emerging markets and the unbanked; USAT will be the onshore dollar, giving U.S. enterprises and financial institutions a compliant stablecoin option. This is Tether’s “dual-coin strategy.” In short: USDT solves global usability; USAT solves U.S. compliance. “Compliance” Is USAT’s Biggest Selling Point USAT’s number-one draw is, without doubt, compliance. But merely meeting regulatory requirements doesn’t fully capture its strategic importance. In reality, USAT signals stablecoins entering a “2.0” phase: not just payment tools, but bridges between TradFi and Web3. 1) Under U.S. oversight: Compliance is the ticket in — and a moat USAT’s issuer is Anchorage Digital — a national trust bank regulated by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the only national-level compliant institution approved to custody crypto assets. Historically, the biggest “short board” for stablecoin projects has been regulatory uncertainty — USAT directly addresses this pain point. This not only means USAT can legally operate in the U.S., but that it has a compliance moat. For traditional financial institutions, compliance is the prerequisite for adoption. Banks, payment giants, and multinationals rely far more on regulatory frameworks than retail users or DeFi participants. USAT’s backing gives it a shot at entering the mainstream financial system, potentially becoming a standardized tool for enterprise on-chain settlement. In other words, USAT’s “compliance” isn’t just a regulatory rubber-stamp — it’s the admission ticket to institutional adoption. That’s something USDT has long lacked. 2) Transparent reserves & compliant audits: A trust revolution for stablecoins Tether’s most persistent criticism has been reserve transparency. While USDT enjoys enormous liquidity worldwide, institutional investors and U.S. regulators have remained skeptical of its reserve composition. USAT will be different. It commits to 100% backing by cash and U.S. Treasuries, strictly maintaining a 1:1 reserve. More importantly, reserves will be custodied by Cantor Fitzgerald, a top Wall Street investment bank and primary dealer that deals directly with the Federal Reserve. What does this mean? Users can redeem 1:1 at any time without worrying about reserve shortfalls; Regular audits ensure transparency, boosting institutional confidence; Since Treasuries are among the safest assets, USAT’s credit risk is almost equivalent to the U.S. Treasury itself. This amounts to a stablecoin trust revolution. In recent years, frequent blow-ups (e.g., TerraUSD) eroded confidence in “algorithmic” support. USAT’s reserve model plugs those holes: not only compliant, but verifiable. 3) Strong personnel background: Dual protection — from product to policy In finance and crypto, personnel often matter more than products. Tether’s appointment of Bo Hines as USAT CEO is a strategically significant choice. Hines comes from the policy world, having served as Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council and deeply involved in U.S. digital asset policymaking. He not only understands how to engage with regulators, but can also push stablecoins onto the policy agenda. This means USAT is not just a product — it’s also a “political calling card”: It can play offense in regulatory negotiations; It can respond to new policy immediately, avoiding passive remediation; It can build direct channels with Congress, Treasury, and other agencies. Put differently, USAT’s localization is not just a registered address in the U.S. — it is a full entry into the policy discourse. That’s critical for winning institutional trust. 4) Platform tech upgrade: Not only a stablecoin, but an asset-tokenization tool USAT will run on Tether’s Hadron technology platform. Hadron is Tether’s next-gen infrastructure that supports not only stablecoin issuance but also real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. This means USAT’s future goes beyond “1 USD = 1 USAT.” It may connect with broader assets: Treasuries on-chain: let institutions buy/sell U.S. Treasuries directly on-chain, simplifying settlement; Corporate bonds or notes: via the USAT platform, companies could issue tokenized debt, lowering financing thresholds; Commodities & real estate: in the future, users could buy or collateralize gold, real estate, and more within the USAT ecosystem. From this perspective, USAT isn’t a standalone product; it is a key cornerstone for putting U.S. dollar assets on-chain. Its potential goes far beyond payments and transfers — it could become the general gateway for U.S. financial assets entering Web3. 5) In summary, USAT offers four core advantages: Compliance: Recognized by U.S. regulators — the entry ticket for institutions; Transparency: 100% cash & Treasuries backing — setting a new trust standard; Localization: Deep political/policy background — smoother regulatory interfacing; Technology: With the Hadron platform, a foundational layer for asset tokenization. If USDT is the global “offshore dollar,” USAT is the U.S.-domestic “onshore dollar.” The two complement each other, forming Tether’s dual-track strategy. This is not only Tether’s transformation — it also marks the stablecoin industry’s entry into a new era of compliance + institutionalization. Impact on the Industry Landscape 1. A direct threat to USDC Circle’s biggest advantage has been compliance. Now Tether is playing that card with USAT. With Tether’s scale and brand power, USAT could quickly attract a large user and institutional base. 2. A challenge to traditional financial institutions JPMorgan, Stripe, and even the Federal Reserve are exploring stablecoins. Tether’s move is a beachhead landing, putting pressure on banks and payment giants. 3. A template for global regulators Hong Kong launched the world’s first stablecoin regulatory ordinance in 2025, while the U.S. GENIUS Act represents another model. Tether’s dual-coin strategy will be a case study for regulators worldwide. Conclusion: Will USAT Become America’s “On-Chain Dollar”? Tether’s USAT is not just a product upgrade — it’s a strategic shift: From offshore to onshore; From opaque to compliant; From global hegemon to a powerful competitor in the U.S. market. The future stablecoin landscape may look like this: USDT: Continues to dominate globally, especially in emerging markets; USAT: Faces off against USDC in the U.S. market; Other stablecoins: Seek niches and specific application scenarios. One thing is certain: USAT’s birth will accelerate industry reshuffling and deepen the U.S. dollar’s footprint in digital finance