$140 Million USDT Frozen by Tether: What Happened?

Major stablecoin issuer Tether has frozen a combined $140 million USDT across three addresses, as reported by blockchain tracker Whale Alert today. The specific details behind the freeze are yet to be revealed by Tether.

However, in a previous statement from May, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized the company’s commitment to anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance. Tether reported employment of a highly qualified team specializing in transaction analysis and collaboration with Chainalysis to pinpoint wallets potentially associated with illegal activity or attempts to circumvent sanctions.

This commitment extends to active cooperation with law enforcement agencies. Tether reports collaborations with over 124 agencies across 40 countries, resulting in the freezing of wallets exceeding $1.3 billion in total.

❄ ❄ ❄ An address with a balance of 50,010,211 #USDT (50,066,097 USD) has just been frozen!https://t.co/8Y3rJTIV6k

— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) July 15, 2024

Notably, in the past year alone, Tether has voluntarily responded to 198 law enforcement requests to freeze wallets, with 90 originating from the U.S. government. This collaborative effort has led to over $639 million being frozen.

While the exact reason behind the $140 million freeze remains undisclosed, Tether’s past statements indicate a strong focus on AML and sanctions compliance. Its cooperation with law enforcement suggests these frozen addresses may have been linked to potentially suspicious activity. Tether itself did not provide information about blocked wallets.

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