Tether Scales Back on 5 Blockchains but Expands Bitcoin Plans

Quick Highlights Tether halts issuance/redemption on 5 blockchains by Sept 2025 Smart contracts stay active, allowing wallet-to-wallet transfers Company shifts focus to scalable networks and Bitcoin-native solutions Tether Updates Transition Plan for Legacy Blockchains On August 29, 2025, Tether — the world’s largest stablecoin issuer announced an update to its transition plan affecting five legacy blockchains: Omni Layer, Bitcoin Cash SLP, Kusama, EOS, and ￰0￱ Freeze to Flexibility In July 2024, Tether said it would stop buying back and freeze USDT on these networks starting September 1, ￰1￱ feedback from user communities, the company adjusted its approach: smart contracts will not be ￰2￱ means users will still be able to transfer USDT between wallets on these blockchains.

However, new issuance and redemption of tokens will stop, effectively ending official company support for ￰3￱ Refocus on High-Activity Ecosystems Tether explained the decision as part of its broader strategy to concentrate on ecosystems with strong developer activity, scalability, and user ￰4￱ company emphasized: “Tether remains committed to a smooth transition and will continue to engage with the community to provide transparency and clarity throughout this process.” Expansion Through Bitcoin-Based Protocols Just a day earlier, Tether announced the launch of USDT on the RGB protocol , a new layer-two solution for issuing digital assets on ￰5￱ will allow users to hold the stablecoin natively alongside BTC in compatible wallets, expanding utility and ￰6￱ CEO Paolo Ardoino noted: “The first cryptocurrency network deserves a native stablecoin.”