Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin that is backed “100% by Tether’s reserves” and is pegged to the U.S. dollar. The organization Tether Limited Inc. launched it.
In this article, we’ll go through what tether is, who created tether, how it works, and what is USDT and I’ll share my thoughts on it.
What is a tether? How does Tether work?
Tether is a stablecoin and a cryptocurrency that is unique in its type and known as the first of its kind its goal is to maintain stable valuations and avoid cryptocurrency volatility. It was specifically designed to bridge fiat currencies with cryptocurrencies to ensure stability, transparency, and low transaction fees. Stablecoins can be tied to specific fiat money. Tether is connected to us dollars and has a one-to-one relationship with US dollars in terms of its worth. It can be used to convert cash into digital currency.
The value of the tether in circulation is also determined by the amount of us dollars held in reserve. A dollar backs every token in its resources, and bots buy and sell tickets to keep their value stable regardless of fluctuations. Tether mints one tether for every dollar a user deposits into its account. Tether’s value is close to one dollar at all times. Tether supports four stablecoins today. Us dollar or USD, the Chinese yuan or CNHT, the euro or EURT, and the stable coins backed with one ounce of gold or XAUT.
Who created the tether?
Tether Limited launched tether formerly known as the real coin in 2014. It has a fascinating history, two groups had started exploring the possibility that the bitcoin blockchain could be used to issue money. These two groups known as real coin a startup and Bitfinex a cryptocurrency exchange were involved in the project. They eventually merged together creating tether limited. Reeve Collins, Craig sellers, and brock pierce director of the bitcoin foundation co-founded it.
The company was founded to make government-issued fiat currencies more compatible with crypto assets traded on a global market 24 7. Tether was one of the first cryptocurrencies and is still the most popular stablecoin. Bitfinex owns tether limited a company based in hong kong. Tether was designed to be a stablecoin. These cryptocurrencies are tied to real-life commodities or assets to stabilize and lower volatility.
Tether functions
The omnilayer protocol which allows for creating and trading digital assets on top of bitcoin was used to launch tether. This protocol will enable projects to develop their currencies and change them. It allows the creation and burning of tether tokens based on the amount and custody. It helps to track and report on the total circulation of tethers. Tether’s ledger on the bitcoin blockchain allows users to view verified transactions and store tethers registers. Tether Limited manages the token reserves and can accept fiat withdrawals and deposits. To maintain the coin’s value it also mints and destroys tokens.
Tether Limited accepts cash withdrawals and cash deposits on behalf of clients. It’s responsible for stamping or dissolving tethered tokens according to the reserves that manages. If someone deposits 10 into their tether account 10 USDT coins will be minted. Stablecoins may be tied to real currencies like the euro or us dollar or precious commodities such as gold. As covered in the tether’s case it’s connected to us dollar. According to tether limited each USDT is equal to one dollar. Tether also claims that it’s backed by fiat currencies. Holders are not subject to the same volatility as other cryptocurrencies. This allows users easy access to the cryptocurrency markets without being subject to volatile price fluctuations.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are not tied to real-life commodities. Many crypto traders purchase tethers to protect their financial position in a crypto market crash. Tether a popular cryptocurrency can be purchased and sold on all major exchanges. Many exchanges use tether as a trading pair, which is a standard method to denominate prices using fiat currency. This is something that people are familiar with.
What is USDT?
Tether tokens created by Bitfinex and traded under the symbol USDT are the native tokens for the tether network. Tether Limited holds the USDT tokens and each USDT token can be exchanged for a u.s dollar. According to tether limited the total USDT value equals its reserves. Tether unlike most cryptocurrencies isn’t minted. Instead tether limited generates tokens and issues them via Bitfinex. Tether has proved itself a valuable tool for crypto investors with many buying and downturns to protect themselves against market crashes. It’s been a reliable source of liquidity which helps to maintain stable prices, because USDT is remittance friendly it can be sent anywhere in the world and converted into u.s dollars, euros, or other fiat currencies.
Conclusion
In my opinion, tether has many benefits but also some drawbacks. Usdt cannot be minted and large amounts cannot be quickly sold on tether exchanges. The company can also decide to make it difficult to buy or exchange USDT at any time. Tether is a centralized entity and the project’s reins are in one company’s control.
Another issue is the fact that you will need to scan documents to purchase or sell USDT digital currency on the company’s website. Privacy-conscious users may be concerned about this. There’s also a lot of competition in the stablecoin market. USDT is the largest stablecoin market cap wise but other projects such as UST, BUSD, DAI, and USDC are also hot on its hills.
Related: Future of Crypto currency
Tether claims real and actual us dollars back all USDT coins. This has been a controversial and contested claim. Some critics argue that tether does not in fact have a large u.s dollar reserve. I hope you got value from this article so now that you have a better understanding of what tether is what are your thoughts on USDT leave a comment below.
