By Adedapo Adesanya
Since its emergence in 2014, Tether (USDT) has grown to become the most traded cryptocurrency.
The token, according to Mr Paolo Ardoino, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Tether, has made a significant contribution to a more connected ecosystem as it combines digital currency benefits, such as instant global transactions, with traditional currency benefits, such as price stability.
“Tether is disrupting the legacy financial system by offering a more modern approach to money. By introducing fiat currency-digital cash to the bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, Liquid Network, Omni, Tron, Algorand, and Solana blockchains, Tether is committed to transparency and compliance.
“Tether is a fast and low-cost way to transact with money,” he told Business Post in a chat.
Speaking on why USDT has become one of the most important tokens, Mr Ardoino said, “Stablecoins have become a viable medium of exchange for e-commerce and have proven to be a resource for businesses looking for a more economical and more efficient way for payments to be made among buyers and sellers,” and “USDT has grown massively into an important alternative form of payment.”
The Tether CTO also said the existence of stablecoins has helped break the expensive and tight hurdles around the remittance infrastructure, particularly for migrant workers.
“Stablecoins have also found significant use cases for migrant workers making remittances across international frontiers. Currently, these workers have to send remittances through businesses like Western Union to get money back to their families and loved ones. This is a slow and costly process, where families end up losing a big chunk of their funds to high fees.
“Stablecoins eliminate the broker from this equation, allowing these families to retain more of their wealth.”
He explained that users get more advantages from Tether as it is pegged against the US Dollar, which is designed to maintain a fixed value over time.
“The value of a stablecoin is typically pegged to a specific real currency, like the US Dollar. This is unlike highly volatile cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. To date, stablecoins have served as a necessary offramp that has been used by traders to move quickly in and out of positions and provide a stable unit of account for settling crypto payments.
“Note that, while the redemption cost of a USDT is always one Dollar, and while Tether is the most stable of the stablecoins, the secondary market may price Tether tokens differently than their redemption costs,” he said.
“Tether tokens are used across a wide range of ages and occupations and are the product of the minds of bitcoiners that have inclusivity and democratisation of access to finance at their core. Therefore, Tether is a product meant to offer a safe harbour for the unbanked.
“Tether is also extremely popular in emerging countries, where the population is experiencing devaluation of national currencies and cross-border transaction constraints. Due to its unique qualities, stablecoins, and specifically, Tether tokens are capable of solving real problems around the world,” he added.