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Tether launched USA₮ on January 27, 2026, marking its first stablecoin designed exclusively for the U.S. market and issued under federal regulation.
Anchorage Digital Bank, the country’s first federally chartered digital asset bank, serves as the issuer, positioning the token within the emerging framework established by the GENIUS Act.
Tether, the world’s largest company in the digital asset industry, confirmed that USA₮ is now live for U.S. users seeking a federally regulated stablecoin issued within a nationally chartered banking structure.
The issuer of USA₮ is Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., America’s first federally chartered digital asset bank, positioning the token squarely inside the country’s emerging regulatory regime for stablecoins.
The launch follows Tether’s announcement late last year that outlined the token’s structure and named former White House Crypto Council Executive Director Bo Hines as CEO of Tether USA₮. With regulatory clarity beginning to take shape under the GENIUS Act, USA₮ enters a market already dominated by dollar-backed tokens, but with a distinct focus on compliance, transparency, and U.S.-based issuance.
Tether said the federally regulated stablecoin is purpose-built for the American financial system, offering institutions and platforms a digital dollar that operates within federal rules rather than adapting retroactively to them. While USD₮ continues to serve global markets and progresses toward GENIUS Act compliance, USA₮ is positioned as a domestic counterpart optimized for U.S. payments infrastructure.
USA₮ is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, which provides the banking backbone for the federally regulated stablecoin. The bank has developed on-chain infrastructure that combines transparency with bank-grade compliance, integrating risk management and regulatory controls directly into its operations.
Cantor Fitzgerald has been named the designated reserve custodian and preferred primary dealer for USA₮, a role intended to provide visibility into reserves and ensure secure asset management from launch. Tether noted that U.S.-regulated exchanges and banking partners are being lined up to support broad access across the American financial ecosystem.
According to the company, USA₮ is not simply engineered to meet regulatory requirements on paper, but to function reliably within them at institutional scale. The design reflects a broader effort to bring stablecoins into closer alignment with federal oversight without sacrificing usability in payments, settlement, and digital commerce.
This structure also reinforces Tether’s growing role in traditional finance. The Tether Group is currently the 17th-largest holder of U.S. Treasuries globally, ahead of several sovereign nations, underscoring how dollar-backed digital assets are increasingly intertwined with U.S. government debt markets.
Tether executives framed the launch as a strategic moment for the U.S. dollar in an increasingly digital global economy. Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said the company sees USA₮ as an extension of its long-running stablecoin mission, but tailored specifically for U.S. regulatory expectations.
“USA₮ offers institutions an additional option: a dollar-backed token made in America,” Paolo Ardoino, CEO, Tether.
“USD₮ has proven for more than a decade that digital dollars can deliver trust, transparency, and utility at a global scale. USA₮ extends that mission by providing a federally regulated product designed for the American market.”
Bo Hines, CEO of Tether USA₮, emphasized regulatory alignment and governance as central to the project’s goals.
“With the launch of USA₮, we see a digital dollar that is designed to meet federal regulatory expectations,” Bo Hines, CEO, Tether USA₮.
“Our focus is stability, transparency, and responsible governance, ensuring that the United States continues to lead in dollar innovation.”
Together, the statements highlight how the federally regulated stablecoin is intended to complement, rather than replace, USD₮, while reinforcing U.S. leadership in digital currency standards at a time when other jurisdictions are racing to shape the future of money.
During its initial phase, USA₮ will be available on several major digital asset platforms, including Bybit, Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX, and Moonpay. Tether said this distribution strategy is aimed at ensuring early liquidity and accessibility for institutions and platforms that require a federally regulated stablecoin from launch.
The company also reiterated important disclosures, noting that USA₮ is not legal tender, is not issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, and is not protected by FDIC, SIPC, or similar insurance schemes. The press release was issued by Tether Operations, S.A. de C.V. for informational purposes, while Anchorage Digital Bank remains the sole issuer.
As federal oversight frameworks take shape, USA₮ represents a test case for how a federally regulated stablecoin can function within U.S. law while supporting large-scale commerce, payments, and financial innovation.
Tether’s move signals that stablecoin issuers are preparing for a future where regulatory alignment may be as critical as technological efficiency in determining market leadership.
