Tether, at the request of Turkish regulators, has frozen more than $544 million in Cryptoasset linked to a network suspected of illegal online gambling and money laundering.
This move comes after Tether received information from law enforcement and took legal action, reflecting a trend of stablecoin issuers increasing compliance and cooperating with cross-border investigations.
- Tether has frozen over $544 million at the request of Turkish regulators.
- The case is linked to suspected illegal online gambling and money laundering.
- By the end of 2025, Tether and Circle had blacklisted approximately 5,700 wallets, freezing around $2.5 billion.
Tether freezes over $544 million: who requested it and why?
Tether froze over $544 million in Cryptoasset following a request from Turkish regulators, related to a network suspected of money laundering and illegal online gambling.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company took legal action after receiving information from law enforcement. He stated that this cooperation is part of Tether's global compliance efforts.
Ardoino also emphasized that Tether has collaborated with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI on compliance and law enforcement-related activities.
The bigger picture: blacklisting wallets and the total amount of money frozen.
Elliptic data shows that by the end of 2025, Tether and Circle had blacklisted approximately 5,700 wallets, freezing a total of about $2.5 billion.
Of the approximately $2.5 billion frozen, about two-thirds was USDT . This figure reflects the significant Vai of USDT in stablecoin operations and also indicates the scale of intervention at the wallet level when suspected financial crime is involved.
