Tether, issuer of stablecoin USDT, through its Investment division has financed a physical crude oil transaction, in the Middle East, between a publicly traded super-major oil company and a top-tier commodity trader worth $45 million. The transaction which was completed in in October 2024, facilitated the loading and transporting of 670,000 barrels of Middle Eastern crude oil. This was Tether Investments’ first crude oil transaction in the region.

Launched earlier this year, Tether’s Trade Finance business has quickly scaled to support the $10 trillion trade finance industry by providing accessible capital solutions that streamline and modernize global trade flows. This new venture, part of Tether Investments, is separated from Tether’s Stablecoin reserves and leverages the company’s high profitability as demonstrated in its recently published quarterly attestation for Q3/2024. Tether aims to help drive positive change within the trade finance industry by providing flexible capital solutions to a wide range of companies and driving efficiency in trade flows through its stablecoin, USD₮.

“Tether Investments’ financing of this significant crude oil transaction underscores our commitment to reshaping the trade finance landscape,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “With USD₮, we’re bringing efficiency and speed to markets that have historically relied on slower, more costly payment structures. This transaction marks the beginning, as we look to support a broader range of commodities and industries, fostering greater inclusivity and innovation in global finance.”

Tether is driving the use of USD₮ in trade finance transactions, which lowers costs and reduces payment times – a distinct benefit over traditional lending – while leveraging top-tier compliance and AML standards, boosted by the transparency of blockchain networks.

Tether has been steadily growing its presence in the Middle East announcing that it will be launching the AED stablecoin in UAE. 2024 is proving to be a landmark year for stablecoins in the UAE. Through the first half of the year, the value of stablecoins received by services, particularly on centralised and decentralised exchanges (CEX and DEX) in the country totalled over $9.8billion, a 55 per cent spike over the $6.3billion received over H1 2023.

Consequently, stablecoins now account for the largest share of crypto activity in the UAE (51 per cent), which stands significantly higher than both Bitcoin (19 per cent) and Ether (9 per cent), which are typically considered to be the most recognized and popular cryptocurrencies.