Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Tether Tops 500 Million Users But USDT Peg Concerns Abound

Published

on

USDT, USDC, and USDe Market Cap Performances

Tether’s USDT has crossed a major milestone, surpassing 534 million users, even as the broader crypto market remains under pressure following a sharp contraction that began in October 2025.

According to the company’s Q4 2025 USD₮ Market Report, the stablecoin added more than 35 million users in the quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of adding over 30 million users.

Sponsored

Sponsored

Advertisement

USDT Expands as a Global Store of Value Even as Crypto Market Cap Contracts

The growth comes during a period of declining risk appetite. Since the October 10 liquidation cascade, the total crypto market capitalization has fallen by more than one-third (30%). Meanwhile, USDT’s supply has continued to expand modestly.

Tether reported that its market capitalization rose to $187.3 billion, up $12.4 billion in Q4, even as some competing stablecoins shrank.

USDT, USDC, and USDe Market Cap Performances
USDT, USDC, and USDe Market Cap Performances. Source: TradingView

Tether attributes the resilience to demand for savings, payments, and cross-border transfers rather than purely speculative trading.

On-chain metrics cited in the report show rising wallet balances among long-term holders and record transaction volumes.

However, the estimates of total users include both on-chain wallets and approximations of exchange users, making independent verification difficult.

Advertisement

Reserve disclosures also show continued expansion. Total reserves reached $192.9 billion, including $141.6 billion in US Treasuries, a level that would place Tether among the largest Treasury holders globally if it were a country.

Tether Reserves
Tether Reserves. Source: Q4 2025 Market Report

Sponsored

Sponsored

The company also increased its Bitcoin holdings to 96,184 BTC and its gold reserves to 127.5 metric tons, reflecting a strategy to diversify collateral beyond cash-equivalent assets.

On-chain activity continued to grow rapidly. The number of USDT holders rose to 139.1 million, while monthly active users reached 24.8 million, both record highs.

Advertisement
Number of USDT Holders by Holder Type
Number of USDT Holders by Holder Type. Source: Tether Q4 2025 Report

The value transferred on-chain reached $4.4 trillion in Q4, and USDT’s share of spot trading volumes on centralized exchanges climbed to 61.5%. This highlights its role as the dominant settlement asset in crypto markets.

Sponsored

Sponsored

Minting Surge, Peg Wobbles, and Flippening Talk Highlight USDT’s Growing Systemic Role

Recent issuance activity suggests demand has carried into early 2026. On February 4, blockchain analytics account Lookonchain reported that Tether minted $1 billion in USDT, part of roughly $3 billion in stablecoins issued by Tether and Circle over three days.

Large issuances are often interpreted by traders as a signal of incoming liquidity, although newly minted tokens are not always immediately circulated.

Advertisement

At the same time, Tether’s growing dominance has intensified scrutiny. Market attention briefly turned to USDT’s stability after the token slipped to around $0.9980, its weakest level in more than 5 years.

While the deviation was small and short-lived, any sustained loss of confidence in the peg could have outsized consequences, given the stablecoin’s central role in trading infrastructure.

Sponsored

Sponsored

Tether’s USDT Depegs from $1
Tether’s USDT Depegs from $1. Source: CoinGecko

Market estimates often suggest that most crypto trading volume flows through USDT pairs, making it a critical pillar of liquidity.

The scale of Tether’s expansion has also fueled debate over its place in the crypto hierarchy. Some market observers have speculated that, if current trends continue, USDT could eventually challenge Ethereum’s position as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, particularly during prolonged periods of risk aversion when capital rotates into stable assets.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the latest data shows that USDT is expanding in terms of users, reserves, and transaction volume, even as the broader market contracts.

Advertisement

Yet that same growth is concentrating liquidity and systemic importance in a single instrument. The stability of Tether’s peg is increasingly tied not just to one company, but to the resilience of the crypto market itself.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

MegaETH Launches Real-Time Ethereum L2 With Sub-10ms Blocks and $89M TVL

Published

on

Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR:

  • MegaETH processes over 100,000 TPS with sub-10ms block times, settling all activity directly on Ethereum mainnet.
  • iTRY, a Turkish Lira stablecoin backed by money market funds, launches with a real-time 45% APY yield loop strategy.
  • Kumbaya XYZ holds $51M of MegaETH’s $89M TVL, with USDM capturing 74% of the network’s $84M stablecoin market cap.
  • 53% of $MEGA token supply unlocks only after hard KPIs are met, with USDM revenue funding active protocol buybacks now.

MegaETH ($MEGA) is gaining attention as the first real-time Ethereum Layer 2 in history. The network delivers sub-10-millisecond block times and over 100,000 transactions per second.

All activity settles directly on Ethereum. The protocol currently holds approximately $89 million in total value locked.

With 2.26 million transactions in 24 hours and zero artificial incentives, MegaETH is building momentum. The network positions itself as a high-throughput onchain settlement layer for real applications.

iTRY Launch and Live DeFi Protocols Drive Activity on MegaETH

One of the most anticipated developments is the launch of iTRY, a Turkish Lira stablecoin. As noted by researcher Nick Research on X, iTRY is backed by money market funds and offers around 45% APY.

The yield strategy works through a real-time loop: lock iTRY, mint wiTRY, borrow USDm, and compound yield. This carry loop removes traditional lock-up barriers for yield seekers.

Advertisement

The broader stablecoin market on MegaETH is already well-established. USDM, issued through Ethena, captures over 74% of the $84 million stablecoin market cap on the network.

Kumbaya XYZ contributes $51 million of the $89 million total TVL on its own. That concentration shows real capital deployment rather than distributed incentive farming.

Bluechip DeFi protocols went live on the network from day one. Aave V3, GMX, and World Markets launched alongside a Chainlink Scale integration.

That integration provides access to nearly $14 billion in flagship assets, including wstETH and LBTC. This confirms that major DeFi infrastructure views MegaETH as production-ready.

Advertisement

Perpetuals trading activity is rising sharply on the network as well. Weekly perps volume climbed 900% to reach $45 million over seven days.

The sequencer operates at cost, which keeps transaction fees among the lowest in crypto. These factors together are drawing active traders to the platform.

$MEGA Tokenomics Link Supply Unlocks to Hard Performance Milestones

The $MEGA token structure stands out for its milestone-based unlock mechanism. There are no points programs, no emissions, and no manufactured TVL incentives in the design.

Instead, 53% of total supply unlocks only after the network hits hard KPIs. Token release is directly tied to real, measurable growth.

Advertisement

Foundation revenue from USDM activity flows into direct $MEGA buybacks, which are already active. This buyback mechanism provides consistent demand without depending on market speculation.

Protocol revenue-backed buybacks at this stage of development remain uncommon. It adds a self-sustaining element to the overall token economy.

The token generation event remains tied to milestones rather than a fixed calendar date. This approach shifts builder incentives toward long-term throughput growth.

The network currently runs at 10 gigagas per second, supporting complex smart contracts at scale. That throughput level makes MegaETH suitable for applications requiring fast, reliable execution.

Advertisement

The MegaMafia ecosystem is expanding into DeFi, gaming, and culture. Brix recently secured $5.5 million from Turkish institutional investors ahead of the iTRY launch. Active addresses reached 3,230 in 24 hours, reflecting genuine user engagement on the network.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

ETH Derivatives Sentiment Shifts as Buyers Take Control for the First Time Since 2022

Published

on

ETH Derivatives Sentiment Shifts as Buyers Take Control for the First Time Since 2022

TLDR:

  • ETH net taker volume turned positive at +$102M, snapping months of consistent sell-side dominance.
  • Sell pressure peaked at -$568M when Ethereum set its all-time high just below $5,000 this cycle.
  • Comparable buying pressure was last recorded in 2022 when ETH traded near the $1,000 price level.
  • Since March, buy-side volumes have steadily grown, pointing to a possible shift in market positioning.

ETH derivatives sentiment has undergone a notable change in recent weeks. After prolonged and consistent selling pressure throughout this market cycle, buy-side volumes are finally gaining ground.

Data from derivatives exchanges shows that net taker volume has turned positive, recording +$102 million in a single day.

This marks a clear departure from the heavy sell-side dominance seen at previous ETH price peaks. Analysts are now watching whether this shift holds and supports a broader recovery for Ethereum.

Heavy Sell Pressure Shaped ETH Derivatives Throughout This Cycle

For most of this cycle, Ethereum has faced unusual and persistent selling pressure in derivatives markets. Net taker volume, which tracks the difference between buy and sell market orders on derivatives exchanges, remained almost consistently negative. This pattern became particularly visible during key price events in late 2024.

When ETH attempted to break above $4,000 in December 2024, net taker volume fell sharply to -$511 million. The sell pressure became even more extreme when Ethereum later reached an all-time high just below $5,000. At that point, sell-side dominance hit a cycle high of -$568 million in net taker volume.

Advertisement

Source: Cryptoquant

On-chain analyst Darkfost drew attention to this persistent trend in a recent post on Cryptoquant. The data showed that buyers repeatedly failed to absorb supply at key price levels throughout this cycle.

Sellers consistently overpowered buying activity, pushing net taker volume deep into negative territory during each rally.

That ongoing imbalance prevented Ethereum from sustaining breakouts, even during brief moments of upside price action.

Advertisement

Buy-Side Volume Climbs to Levels Not Seen Since the 2022 Bear Market

Since March, the dynamic in ETH derivatives markets has changed considerably. This change followed months of negative readings that characterized Ethereum’s derivatives activity.

Buy-side volumes have taken control, with net taker volume recording +$102 million in a single day. The last time Ethereum recorded comparable buying pressure was back in the 2022 bear market.

At that time, ETH was trading near the $1,000 area when similar buy-side activity appeared in the market. Market observers note this comparison carries weight given the scale of the current buying activity.

The return of strong buying interest at current price points to a change in how derivatives traders are positioned.

Advertisement

Darkfost noted in the post: “Since March, buy-side volumes have finally taken control, with +$102 million recorded today.”

The analyst added that buyers absorbing supply and chasing upside could signal the early stages of a recovery for Ethereum. The data stands in sharp contrast to the aggressive sell-side behavior that defined much of this cycle.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Charles Schwab, Citadel Both Mull Prediction Market Play

Published

on

Charles Schwab, Citadel Both Mull Prediction Market Play

Traditional finance giants Charles Schwab and Citadel Securities are both considering entering prediction markets, with each separately weighing up how they wish to get involved in the fast-growing sector.

“I think at some point we likely will have prediction markets,” Rick Wurster, the CEO of the banking and investing titan Schwab, told investors during a call on Thursday.

He added that prediction markets weren’t “of tremendous interest” when he recently asked a group of Schwab clients about them, but it was an area the company would “take a hard look at, and it would be quite straightforward for us to offer.”

Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster speaking to CNBC after the company launched Bitcoin and Ether trading on Thursday. Source: CNBC

Prediction markets such as the popular Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in use over the past few months, with both platforms seeing a record combined total monthly trading volume of $23.6 billion in March, according to Token Terminal.

However, Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market platforms have also caught the ire of some US state regulators, who have accused them in court of offering unlicensed sports betting.

Advertisement

Some federal lawmakers have also vowed to crack down on prediction markets, claiming the platforms weren’t doing enough to stamp out insider trading.

Wurster said Schwab’s potential offering would steer away from allowing bets on areas such as sports, politics and pop culture as it looks to position itself as a partner for building long-term wealth.

“Prediction markets that are not aligned to that are not something that we want to pursue,” he said. “If you look at the stats on the success of gamblers, they’re not strong, and people generally lose money.”

Citadel “keeping an eye” on prediction markets

Meanwhile, Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito said at a Semafor conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday that the company is “absolutely keeping an eye on developments” in prediction markets. 

Advertisement
Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito speaking at the Semafor World Economy conference on Thursday. Source: YouTube

“We’re not there yet, there’s not that much liquidity,” he added, but said that the market is likely to “ramp and scale,” and it was “certainly possible” that the market-making firm would potentially look to get involved.

Related: Democrats question CFTC chair on insider trading in prediction markets

Esposito said Citadel was “not looking at sports at the moment at all, I don’t see us entering that market,” but did signal an interest in some event contracts.

He added that Citadel could see its retail and institutional clients use some event contracts as a hedge for risks to their investments, such as contracts for elections, which have been known to move markets.

“That’s going to be some of the biggest risks to investors’ portfolios that they’re going to have to grapple with,” Esposito said. “Having a clean and distinct way to hedge certain risks, I think there’s a good use case and industrial logic to it.”

Advertisement

Magazine: Should users be allowed to bet on war and death in prediction markets?