ADGM's Recognition of USDT

Tether’s USDt has secured a regulatory foothold in Abu Dhabi’s international financial center, opening the way for licensed institutions to use the token in supervised services. The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) announced that USDT is now classified as an “accepted fiat-referenced token,” giving regulated entities the ability to offer trading, custody, and other activities involving the stablecoin. The designation places USDT inside a formal rule set rather than ad-hoc permissions. Digital asset firms operating within ADGM can integrate USDT into settlement rails and customer products without running into classification gaps. For a stablecoin with the largest global circulation, the development adds another jurisdiction with explicit regulatory treatment instead of implied tolerance.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the step “reinforces the role of stablecoins as essential components of today’s financial landscape,” pointing to their use in remittances, cross-border payments, and crypto markets. ADGM had already treated USDT issued on Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche as an accepted virtual asset; the new status widens the scope and provides a clearer base for institutional adoption.

Investor Takeaway

USDT now has formal recognition in one of the Middle East’s most influential financial zones. This gives institutions a regulated path to hold, settle, and custody the token — a piece that has often limited stablecoin use in traditional finance.

Abu Dhabi's Expanding Stablecoin Recognition

Abu Dhabi has spent the past three years building a structured framework for digital assets, making ADGM a preferred jurisdiction for exchanges, custodians, and payments firms seeking transparent oversight. Stablecoins have become a core focus because of their role in settlement, treasury operations, and international flows. USDT is not the only token benefiting from this push. Regulators recently approved Ripple’s RLUSD as an accepted fiat-referenced token, giving institutional players another dollar-pegged option for custody and settlement. The approvals suggest the region is preparing for a multi-stablecoin environment rather than backing a single issuer.

At the same time, a separate initiative backed by major Abu Dhabi entities — including ADQ, International Holding Company, and First Abu Dhabi Bank — is exploring a dirham-pegged stablecoin, pending clearance from the UAE Central Bank. If approved, it would give regional financial firms a domestic on-chain settlement asset in addition to USD-based tokens.

UAE's Broader Digital Asset Strategy

The UAE has positioned itself as a global hub for trade and financial flows, and stablecoins fit cleanly into that role. With cross-border commerce central to the region’s economy, a predictable and supervised structure for digital settlement tools is becoming part of the regulatory landscape. ADGM’s model gives institutions clarity on what they can use and how it fits into compliance frameworks. The global stablecoin market, valued at more than $300 billion according to DefiLlama, has seen rapid expansion in the past two years. Most growth has come from USDT’s role in exchanges, OTC markets, and cross-border transactions.

As more jurisdictions define stablecoin categories, large issuers like Tether gain easier entry into regulated financial channels. Abu Dhabi’s stance differs from jurisdictions that rely on interim guidance or fragmented interpretations. Instead, ADGM labels tokens under specific categories, reducing ambiguity for firms that need to integrate stablecoins into internal systems, client services, or institutional settlement layers.

Investor Takeaway

With clear rules and multiple approved stablecoins, ADGM is becoming a strategic location for companies building cross-border payment infrastructure or custody services tied to fiat-linked tokens.

Future for Institutions in ADGM

For licensed firms, the recognition removes a key barrier to integrating USDT into trading desks, settlement workflows, and customer-facing products. It also gives custodians and payment companies a supervised path to hold and move USDT without relying on indirect arrangements. The next phase will likely involve banks, fintechs, and digital asset platforms expanding on-chain settlement pilots or rolling out new services anchored in stablecoins.

With USDT and RLUSD now classified under the same regime — and a potential dirham token in development — Abu Dhabi is shaping a stablecoin menu tailored to both international and local flows. As more global financial centers debate how to label and supervise stablecoins, ADGM’s model offers a route that combines institutional access with defined oversight. For Tether, it adds another major jurisdiction where USDT sits squarely inside the regulatory system instead of at its edges.