Tether (group of companies)

Tether is a group of companies associated with the issuance of digital tokens under the Tether brand. As of 19 August 2026, the legal issuer of USDT is Tether International, S.A. de C.V., registered in El Salvador. In 2021 the New York Attorney General characterized Tether and Bitfinex as companies that were under the control of one small group of people. How USDT and its reserves work is covered separately in the USDT profile.

Regulatory history

• On 23 February 2021 the New York Attorney General (NYAG) reached a settlement with iFinex, the Tether companies, and their related legal entities. The settlement provided for a payment of 18.5 million dollars, the cessation of trading activity with persons from New York, and compliance with reporting requirements.
• On 15 October 2021 the CFTC issued separate consent orders in respect of the Tether companies and the Bitfinex operators. Tether was ordered to pay 41 million dollars in connection with untrue or misleading statements and material omissions about the backing of USDT. The Bitfinex operators were separately ordered to pay 1.5 million dollars for violations related to retail commodity transactions and registration requirements.

Transparency and audit

The backing of USDT is covered in the USDT profile and the article what are reserves. An audit of the issuer’s financial statements and quarterly reserve attestations are different kinds of documents.