Tether achieves another major milestone! Abu Dhabi approves compliant use of USDT on nine major blockchains, with an additional 1 billion USDT issued as reserve.

Stablecoin giant Tether achieves a key breakthrough in the Middle Eastern regulatory stronghold. On December 9, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) regulatory authority officially approved licensed institutions within its jurisdiction to conduct regulated activities involving USDT on nine major blockchains, including Aptos, Polkadot, TON, and others. This move marks a further expansion following previous approvals for USDT on Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche, now covering nearly all major networks where USDT circulates. Meanwhile, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges also announced that it has obtained a full operational license from ADGM. These developments signal that Abu Dhabi is rapidly building its “Global Crypto Wall Street” blueprint through a systematic compliance framework.

Green Light for Regulation: USDT Approved on Nine New Blockchains

For Abu Dhabi, which aspires to become a global digital financial center, the inclusiveness and foresight of its regulatory framework have once again been validated. On December 9, Tether officially announced that the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM had approved USDT as an accepted fiat-referenced token, expanding its use to nine new blockchain networks. This representative list covers today’s mainstream Layer 1 ecosystems, including Aptos, Celo, Cosmos, Kaia, Near, Polkadot, Tezos, TON, and TRON.

This approval is not an isolated regulatory decision, but a key part of ADGM’s strategy to build a “multi-chain compliant financial infrastructure.” Previously, ADGM had already recognized USDT activities on Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche. With the addition of these nine chains, licensed financial institutions in this special economic zone—known for its independent legal and regulatory system—can now safely and legally offer trading, settlement, and related financial services on virtually all major public blockchains where USDT circulates. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino commented that this further cements stablecoins as a key component of today’s financial system and strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for compliant digital finance.

From an industry perspective, this move is highly significant. For the first time at the level of a mainstream international financial center, regulatory barriers have been removed for institutional-level multi-chain USDT applications. Financial institutions no longer need to worry about compliance risks for USDT operations on different chains, greatly enhancing cross-chain capital flow and interoperability. This paves the way for more complex DeFi products, institutional trading strategies, and cross-border payment solutions. Essentially, ADGM is writing an actionable, multi-chain-based regulatory paradigm for the global crypto market.

Dual Highlights: Top CEX Gains Full License, Tether Expansion Shapes Middle East Blueprint

Tether’s positive news is not an isolated event; it comes as Abu Dhabi intensifies efforts to attract global crypto giants. On the same day, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges announced it had received full operational authorization from ADGM to operate its global platform under this framework. According to disclosures, the exchange will conduct business through three independent licensed entities—exchange, clearing house, and broker-dealer—fully modeled after traditional financial markets to provide regulated trading, custody, settlement, and OTC services.

The exchange’s co-CEO Richard Teng stated that ADGM is one of the world’s most respected financial regulators, and obtaining its license demonstrates that the platform meets the highest international standards in compliance, governance, risk management, and consumer protection. The platform is expected to officially launch regulated operations under the ADGM framework on January 5, 2026, upon completion of final preparations.

The simultaneous landing of “infrastructure (Tether) + trading venue (exchange)” top-tier licenses clearly outlines Abu Dhabi’s ambitions. It’s not just attracting companies, but systematically building a fully compliant digital asset ecosystem from underlying assets (stablecoins) to mid-level infrastructure (trading and clearing) that meets international standards. This “build the nest to attract the phoenix” strategy is far more attractive in the long term than simple tax incentives, as it addresses the certainty and security concerns most important to institutional investors. It is foreseeable that more global crypto companies and traditional financial institutions will be drawn to this mature regulatory “operating system” and will base their Middle Eastern and even global operations here.

Behind the $1 Billion Mint: Strong Demand and Routine Liquidity Management

As regulatory good news emerged from Abu Dhabi, Tether’s on-chain liquidity management operations remained as active as ever. According to on-chain data monitoring platform Whale Alert, on December 8, Tether minted 1 billion USDT on the TRON network. Such frequent large-scale minting often leads to market misinterpretations, so it is necessary to clarify the underlying logic.

First, this is Tether’s standardized treasury management operation, not a signal of “flooding” the market. Such minting usually falls into two categories: direct entry into circulation to meet immediate market redemption needs; or “authorized but not issued” inventory replenishment, which serves as ammunition pre-prepared for potential future redemptions or cross-chain transfers, in case large requests can’t be promptly processed during on-chain congestion. Historically, the latter is more common.

Second, frequent large-scale mints are, in fact, a reverse indicator of strong USDT market demand. Especially on high-throughput, low-cost networks like TRON, USDT is heavily used as a trading pair benchmark and value transfer tool. The minting itself reflects Tether’s expectation of sufficient redemption demand, thus requiring advance coordination between the reserve pool and on-chain liquidity. From an industry perspective, this is largely a technical means of maintaining stablecoin system efficiency and does not itself constitute a bullish or bearish price signal. The market should instead focus on whether Tether provides sufficient, transparent reserves for all its issuances, a core concern its recent audit reports have continued to address.

Key Progress of Abu Dhabi’s Crypto Ambitions at a Glance

Tether (USDT) Regulatory Approval Status:

• Newly Approved Chains (9): Aptos, Celo, Cosmos, Kaia, Near, Polkadot, Tezos, TON, TRON
• Previously Approved Chains (3): Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche
• Impact: ADGM-licensed institutions can operate compliant businesses on virtually all USDT circulation chains.

Top Exchange ADGM License Details:

• License Status: Full operational authorization (FSRA license) obtained.
• Operational Structure: Operates through exchange, clearing house, and broker-dealer as three separate entities.
• Business Model: Fully modeled after traditional financial markets, providing regulated trading, custody, and settlement services.
• Planned Launch Date: January 5, 2026.

Recent Related Developments:

• On-chain Activity: On December 8, Tether minted 1 billion USDT on the TRON network (inventory management operation).
• Macro Background: UAE sovereign funds increased holdings of Bitcoin ETFs; officials at the Bitcoin MENA conference called Bitcoin a “key pillar” of future finance.

Abu Dhabi Roadmap: Strategic Leap From “Safe Harbor” to “New Engine”

Taken together, these recent events show that Abu Dhabi—and the UAE as a whole—has advanced beyond simply offering “friendly policies” and is now moving towards defining industry standards and exporting financial infrastructure. The goal is not to become the next “crypto offshore haven,” but to serve as the “new engine” driving the next phase of compliant, institutionalized growth in the global digital asset industry.

The core of this strategy is to provide certainty and trust. Through ADGM—a regulatory sandbox that is internationally connected yet independently flexible—Abu Dhabi is demonstrating to the global market that crypto innovation and strict financial regulation are not mutually exclusive. By granting licenses to giants like Tether and leading exchanges, it sets compliance benchmarks and attracts the first wave of “anchor” companies. Next, with these flagship effects and mature frameworks, it will be able to attract more upstream and downstream enterprises, forming an industry cluster effect.

From a broader perspective, this is about laying the groundwork for critical future financial infrastructure in the post-oil era. While Wall Street hesitates amid regulatory wrangling and Hong Kong and Singapore each take their own approaches, Abu Dhabi—backed by strong capital, a strategic location, and decisive embrace of innovation—is quickly seizing the high ground to become a global digital asset hub. It aims not only to be a “safe harbor” for capital, but also a powerhouse for rules, talent, and innovation. The Tether and exchange licenses are merely the newest and most solid notes in this grand narrative.