Chinese pharmaceutical chemical companies that can ship precursors for Fentanyl overseas are accepting cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Tether, as a form of payment. This was revealed in an investigative research report published by Elliptic, a blockchain analytics firm that specializes in risk management and regulatory compliance.

Despite a sluggish crypto market, Tether, a stablecoin issuer, has seen its dollar-pegged coin supply reach $83.5 billion, just below its record high of $84.1 billion. This rise has occurred amidst declining trading activity and lower crypto prices, with rival USDC's supply declining from nearly $47 billion to $27.8 billion.

Tether's market capitalization has almost reached its all-time high of $83.2 billion, according to CoinGecko data. However, Kaiko analysts have found that Tether's supply has increased without a corresponding increase in trading volumes. The report highlights a contrast with Circle's USDC stablecoin, which is primarily used as a trading pair.

Tether, the company behind USDT stablecoin, has seen significant growth in market capitalization, but this growth is not reflected in the Ethereum blockchain and ERC-20 tokens. Instead, Tether's growth has occurred on the Tron network, where most USDT live, amounting to $42.3 billion.

According to a report by crypto market research firm Kaiko, trading with Tether's USDT stablecoin has fallen to multi-year lows, despite its recent rise to near all-time highs in market capitalization.

Strike, a global payment app known for its secure and fast payment solutions, has recently announced the integration of Tether (USDT) into its platform. This integration will allow users to access USDT on-ramps, off-ramps, and settlements seamlessly.

Tether's recent decision to invest in Bitcoin on a monthly basis has put it in competition with MicroStrategy and could potentially cause market volatility. CryptoSlate's market report provides an in-depth analysis of this move and its potential impact. The report also highlights the implications of Tether's Bitcoin investment strategy.

The number of active USDT addresses has reached a 6-month low of 4,151.155, indicating a decline in the use of USDT. This trend could suggest reduced demand for this stablecoin, which in turn could indicate a shift in market sentiment.

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, has partnered with KriptonMarket to enable USDT transactions in the Central Market of Buenos Aires. This collaboration will allow market merchants to accept USDT as payment for goods and pay bills and a portion of employees' wages with the same stablecoin. The move is particularly exciting for merchants and customers in Argentina, which is currently experiencing hyperinflation. Tether hopes that this payment system will shield small-scale businesses from the country's inflation rate and eliminate intermediation costs by enabling direct digital transactions between businesses and their final consumers. Additionally, Tether and KriptonMarket will conduct educational programs to raise the next generation of crypto enthusiasts and blockchain businesses in Buenos Aires.

Tether has partnered with KriptonMarket to enable local businesses in Argentina to accept payments in USDT, a stablecoin. The collaboration will bring USDT acceptance to the Central Market of Buenos Aires, which consists of 900 wholesale merchants and 50 retailers.

Tether's USDT stablecoin is approaching its all-time high market capitalization of $84 billion, which it set in May 2022. This comes as the value of Circle's USDC has fallen due to regulatory troubles and concerns over reserves being trapped in Silicon Valley Bank. Tether attributed its recovery to increased demand brought on by investor confidence in its "solvency." The leading stablecoin's value is almost three times higher than that of Circle’s USDC, its largest rival. Tether plans to divert up to 15% of profits into Bitcoin purchases as part of a "stability" push.

The stablecoin market has undergone significant changes in recent years, with USDT emerging as the dominant stablecoin despite its lack of transparency. The importance of stablecoins to the cryptocurrency industry is emphasized as fiat trading declines. Investors and users prioritize trust, stability, transparency, and accountability when choosing a stablecoin.

Stablecoin issuers, including Tether and Circle, have spent over a million dollars lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill since the beginning of 2022. This comes as pressure mounts to establish a regulatory framework for dollar-pegged digital assets. Tether has spent around $600,000 on lobbying efforts so far this year, while Circle has spent at least $560,000. The lobbying efforts have focused on educating policymakers on stablecoin and cryptocurrency issues and monitoring cryptocurrency proposals.

Tether, the leading blockchain platform behind the world's first stablecoin, has partnered with KriptonMarket to bring financial stability and independence to small businesses in Argentina. The partnership aims to transform the payment landscape for the Central Market of Buenos Aires, one of the largest fruit and vegetable markets in Latin America. Through this initiative, wholesale and retail merchants at Mercado Central will be able to accept USDt payments, settle bills using USD via KriptoPayments, and even pay a portion of their employees' salaries in USDt. The program also includes educational programs across the city to foster a new generation of blockchain enthusiasts and professionals in Buenos Aires.

Visa's Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield, has announced that the company has deployed its first paymaster smart contract on the Goerli testnet of Ethereum. This move is part of Visa's ongoing research and experimentation with account abstraction and EIP-4337, as the company explores the potential of smart contracts and programmable money.

Tether, the issuer of USDT stablecoin, has withdrawn over $4.8 billion in bank deposits in the first quarter of 2023 to minimize its exposure to banks. The move was aimed at protecting itself from bank collapses despite holding deposits at different institutions. Tether has now minimized its exposure to banks and has $481 million in bank deposits after keeping $5.3 billion in banks at the start of the year. The company has also revealed its precious metal and crypto reserves, with 4% of its USDT reserves in gold and about 1.8% in Bitcoin (BTC).

USDT and USDC were launched around the same time in 2018 and grew in parallel with the crypto market until 2022. However, in May 2022, USDC's circulating supply dropped to around $50 billion, while USDT reached an all-time high of $83 billion. Due to the collapse of UST, there were talks of USDC surpassing USDT and getting within $10 billion of each other in July 2022. Tether has recently announced that it will allocate up to 15% of its net realized operating profits towards purchasing Bitcoin.

Tether, the global stablecoin leader, has announced a new investment strategy that involves regularly setting aside a portion of its profits to purchase Bitcoin. The company plans to invest up to 15% of its profits in Bitcoin, moving away from U.S. government debt. Tether's Bitcoin holdings were reported to be around $1.5 billion at the end of Q1, and the company is looking to consistently increase its Bitcoin reserves. Tether views Bitcoin as a long-term investment opportunity and plans to use actual profits from its investment activities to buy BTC.

Tether, the platform behind the largest stablecoin USDT, has announced that it will allocate up to 15% of its net realized operating profits towards purchasing Bitcoin every month. This move is aimed at further strengthening its reserves portfolio and diversifying its reserves. Tether already holds $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, which backs only 1.83% of its near-$83 billion market cap. The decision to invest in Bitcoin is underpinned by its strength and potential as an investment asset, according to Paolo Ardoino, the CTO of Tether. The USDT market cap soared to a record high in Q1 but has since flatlined.

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, has announced that it will invest up to 15% of its profits in bitcoin as it shifts its reserves towards cryptocurrency and away from U.S. government debt. The company currently holds $1.5 billion in bitcoin, accounting for about 2% of its reserves, and plans to buy more on a regular basis.