Tether plans Bitcoin-native USDT launch via RGB in coming weeks

Tether is preparing to issue USDT natively on Bitcoin through RGB protocol version 0.11.1, with UTEXO acting as issuer and distributor in partnership with Tether and a launch expected as soon as July. The move would bring the stablecoin back to Bitcoin after its original 2014 debut on the network through Omni Layer, before activity later shifted to Ethereum and Tron, which now host the vast majority of USDT supply. The setup combines RGB’s off-chain validation model with the Lightning Network to let users send and receive USDT through Bitcoin and Lightning-compatible wallets while anchoring settlement to Bitcoin. Tether had already completed a separate USDT rollout on Bitcoin via Lightning Labs’ Taproot Assets protocol in March 2026, making RGB a parallel effort rather than Bitcoin’s first recent USDT integration. UTEXO co-founder Viktor Ihnatiuk said the launch would bring USDT "back home" to Bitcoin and argued that placing both BTC and USDT on the same settlement layer could simplify transfers and reduce friction tied to bridges, swap services and separate fee tokens. Analysts say the broader impact will depend less on protocol design than on whether exchanges, wallets and payment firms adopt Bitcoin-based USDT at scale, especially given Tron’s entrenched liquidity and payment infrastructure.