Stablecoin

Tether's USDT has been formally recognized as an accepted fiat-referenced token in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), allowing licensed institutions to offer regulated trading, custody, and settlement services using the stablecoin. The designation broadens USDT's institutional footprint in the Middle East, supports Abu Dhabi's ambition to become a hub for stablecoins and digital assets, and comes as the global stablecoin market surpasses $300 billion in supply, according to DefiLlama.

Circle has secured a full Financial Services Permission from Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority, enabling it to operate as a regulated Money Services Provider in the UAE. The company plans to use the approval to expand USDC-based payment, settlement and infrastructure services in the region. It has appointed Dr. Saeeda Jaffar as Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa. The move follows earlier recognition of USDC and EURC in Dubai and coincides with new approvals for Tether’s USDT and Binance within ADGM.

Tether’s USDT stablecoin has been approved as a fiat-referenced token in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The designation allows licensed firms to use USDT across a broad range of supported blockchains. It extends earlier recognition on Ethereum, Solana and Avalanche. The move aligns with Abu Dhabi’s wider digital-asset strategy, which includes full authorization for Binance under the ADGM regime.

Tether has invested roughly $81.6 million in Italian humanoid-robotics firm Generative Bionics as part of a €70 million funding round, marking another major step in its expanding AI and robotics strategy. The company is also pushing deeper into commodities lending as it channels stablecoin-driven profits into diversified sectors.

At the 2025 Blockchain Association Policy Summit in Washington, OCC Chief Jonathan Gould said digital asset firms seeking national trust bank charters should be evaluated under the same standards as traditional financial institutions, according to remarks at the event. He said the OCC has received about 14 charter applications since the start of the year and expressed confidence in the agency’s ability to supervise new entrants and activities.

On Monday, the CFTC introduced a pilot program that lets qualified futures commission merchants use Bitcoin, Ether and payment stablecoins such as USDC as margin collateral in regulated U.S. futures and swaps markets. Acting Chairman Caroline Pham framed it as a controlled test of tokenized collateral, with enhanced reporting, a no-action letter permitting segregated custody of certain digital assets, and withdrawal of 2020 guidance that discouraged crypto collateral. If successful, the trial could extend the role of stablecoins and tokenized Treasuries across clearing, margining and settlement infrastructure on Wall Street.

CoinShares’ 2026 Digital Asset Outlook, published Monday, argues hybrid finance is embedding public blockchains into core market infrastructure. The report cites more than $90 billion in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows and over one million BTC held by corporate treasuries. It expects broader access via wealth platforms alongside accelerating tokenization.

On December 9 2025, Tezos-based French fintech Lyzi said Porsche Centre Montpellier and Lamborghini Bordeaux became the first dealerships in their respective networks to accept cryptocurrency payments for vehicle purchases, supporting Bitcoin, Tez, EURC, USDC and more than 80 other digital assets. Lyzi also launched a crypto donations platform for Doctors of the World, allowing contributions to around 400 humanitarian programs in over 80 countries. The company added that its Web3 payments solution is now live at more than 800,000 points of sale after a €1.3 million seed round in April 2025.

On December 8, 2025, the U.S. CFTC launched a pilot allowing Bitcoin, Ether and USDC to be used as collateral in regulated derivatives markets, according to the agency. For the first three months, futures commission merchants may accept only these assets and must submit weekly reports. The agency also issued guidance on tokenized collateral and withdrew a 2020 advisory.

At the UBS Global Technology and AI conference, Western Union CFO Matthew Cagwin presented a new "stable card" designed to help recipients in high-inflation countries preserve the value of remittances. The card will hold USD-pegged stablecoins and sits within a wider strategy that includes Western Union's own USD Payment Token and a Solana-based Digital Asset Network linking digital and fiat payment rails, according to Cagwin.