Tether’s Stablecoin Touches 6.25% of the World's Population, Says CEO

Why It Matters

The scale underscores stablecoins’ growing role in cross-border payments and inflation hedging while raising stakes for regulation and private-market valuation of crypto infrastructure providers.

Summary

Tether said its USDT stablecoin has reached 500 million users—about 6.25% of the world’s population—an achievement CEO Paolo Ardoino called a major milestone in financial inclusion. The firm highlighted real-world use in countries like Kenya, where 37% of users hold USDT as a store of value and small businesses use it to pay for imports amid currency weakness. USDT remains the dominant stablecoin with a $182.4 billion market cap (58.4% share), and Tether has been reported to be courting up to $20 billion in funding at a roughly $500 billion valuation. The scale underscores stablecoins’ growing role in cross-border payments and inflation hedging while raising stakes for regulation and private-market valuation of crypto infrastructure providers.