USDT is now approved as accepted virtual asset in Abu Dhabi

Tether has announced that Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority has approved the company’s U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin as an accepted virtual asset.

According to the announcement on Dec. 10, Tether (USDT) is now available to authorized individuals and entities regulated within the Abu Dhabi Global Market. FSRA is a market regulator in Abu Dhabi under the Abu Dhabi Global Market. The FSRA is a market regulator under the ADGM, which operates as a financial-free zone in the United Arab Emirates.

USDT’s approval is part of FSRA’s mandate to regulate virtual asset service providers in the country. VASPs are required to comply with anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regulations.

In its announcement, Tether stated that the approval enables FSRA-licensed individuals and entities to offer USDT-powered services in the region. The agency pre-approves such services. With this acceptance, users within the ADGM can use USDT on Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche.

Paolo Ardoino, chief executive officer of Tether, commented:

“This milestone underscores Tether’s commitment to fostering global financial inclusion and innovation. By bringing USD₮ to the forefront of ADGM’s regulated virtual asset framework, we are not only validating the importance of stablecoins as critical tools for modern finance but also opening new doors for collaboration and growth across the Middle East.”

USDT is the world’s largest U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, with a market cap of over $138 billion. Its adoption across the payments market and crypto space has allowed it to dominate other stablecoins, contributing to Tether’s record-breaking revenue figures.

Tether also revealed in a report on Dec. 9 that on-chain wallets with USDT exceeded 109 million at the start of the fourth quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, total wallets that have ever received USDT has surpassed 400 million.

Elsewhere, the Middle East and North Africa region has increasingly become a key market.

In May this year, Tether announced its expansion in the UAE via a partnership with web3-focused platform RAK Digital Assets Oasis. The collaboration aimed at promoting adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins in technology in UAE’s sixth-largest city Ras Al Khaimah.

In August, Tether revealed plans for a dirham-pegged stablecoin.