Tether launches USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin issued via Anchorage Digital with reserves custodied by Cantor Fitzgerald.
Author: Akshat Thakur
January 27, 2026 — Tether launches USAT, a new dollar-backed stablecoin built specifically for the U.S. market under federal regulatory oversight. The move marks a major shift for the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, which has historically dominated global crypto liquidity through USDT but remained outside formal U.S. issuance frameworks.
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@pnxgrp
🔥 @Tether announces the launch of $USAT stablecoin #Tether has launched #USAT, a U.S.-regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin designed for the U.S. market and aligned with American regulatory standards. $USAT aims to serve as a core infrastructure for the next generation of https://t.co/L3mGHEOoP8
01:29 PM·Jan 27, 2026
CoinDesk
@CoinDesk
TODAY: @Tether launches USA₮, a federally regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin for the U.S. market. https://t.co/ljpbIhWdaP
01:27 PM·Jan 27, 2026
CoinGecko
@coingecko
JUST IN: Tether launches USA₮, a federally regulated dollar-backed stablecoin. https://t.co/ggFFvD1eBP
01:24 PM·Jan 27, 2026
Tether’s USDT has long served as crypto’s most liquid settlement asset, powering trading pairs across exchanges and acting as a core unit of account in global DeFi flows. But its dominance has also carried persistent regulatory baggage, with reserve transparency and offshore structure frequently criticized by regulators and market analysts.
With the U.S. regulatory environment evolving after the GENIUS Act (2025), Tether appears to be adapting to a future where stablecoin issuers are expected to operate through regulated structures rather than pure offshore models. USAT effectively creates a separate stablecoin product designed for U.S. compliance standards while leaving USDT as its global token.
According to reports, USAT (USA₮) is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., the first federally chartered digital asset bank in the U.S. Reserves are custodied by Cantor Fitzgerald, strengthening the token’s institutional positioning.
USAT launched with an initial $10 million supply on Ethereum as an ERC-20 token. Exchange support rolled out quickly, with deposits opening on platforms such as Bitfinex and HTX, and trading expected to follow immediately after.
This structure gives USAT a clear narrative advantage in the U.S. market: federal issuance rails, regulated custody, and institutional-style reserve handling.
Key milestones in Tether’s evolution and the launch of USAT
Tether introduces USDT, widely recognized as the first major stablecoin and the earliest large-scale fiat-pegged token in crypto markets.
Tether is fined $41 million by the CFTC over claims related to reserve backing and disclosures around USDT’s collateralization.
U.S. stablecoin chartering advances as the GENIUS Act passes, laying groundwork for regulated dollar-backed issuers and compliance structures.
Tether hints at launching a stablecoin tailored for U.S. compliance frameworks as stablecoin regulation accelerates.
Bo Hines is named CEO and the USAT stablecoin is unveiled as Tether’s U.S.-oriented product initiative.
USAT launches with an initial supply of approximately $10M, marking Tether’s formal entry into a U.S.-aligned stablecoin track.
USAT begins trading across major venues, expanding distribution and liquidity shortly after launch.
The biggest implication is competitive. Circle’s USDC has dominated regulated U.S. stablecoin adoption for years because its positioning aligned with compliance-first distribution. Now, Tether launches USAT to directly challenge that advantage and re-enter the U.S. stablecoin narrative from a regulatory footing.
If USAT scales, it could open a two-track strategy:
That dynamic could reshape stablecoin liquidity flows, exchange pair dominance, and even DeFi integrations as protocols increasingly prefer tokens with regulatory clarity.
USAT’s next phase will likely depend on liquidity expansion and distribution strategy. If it remains limited to a narrow ecosystem, its impact will be mostly symbolic. But if it scales with broad exchange support, DeFi integration, and banking rails, USAT could become one of the most important stablecoin products launched this cycle.
The real long-term opportunity is bigger than stablecoin trading pairs. A regulated stablecoin issued under federal oversight becomes a potential settlement layer for:
That is why Tether launches USAT could be remembered as a turning point where stablecoins fully entered the regulated U.S. financial stack.
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