WuBlockchain
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told the Plan ₿ Forum 2026 in Lugano that USDT now serves more than 730 million people, with 30 million new wallets added every quarter, a growth rate he says outpaces any other fintech company. His framing was characteristically minimal: the dollar stablecoin that reaches more users than most national banking systems is, at its core, roughly 300 lines of smart contract code.
Why it matters
The scale is the story. USDT has become default dollar access for people in economies where annual inflation runs as high as 100%, letting ordinary savers hold USD exposure without a bank account. A product built from a few hundred lines of code now functions as financial infrastructure across emerging markets.
Market impact
Sustained wallet growth at this pace compounds Tether's distribution advantage: every new user arrives as a potential liquidity node for USDT pairs across exchanges and payment rails. For competitors, dislodging a stablecoin embedded in the daily commerce of high-inflation countries is far harder than winning exchange listings. Watch whether the 30 million quarterly wallet-addition rate holds through the next cycle.
Frequently asked questions
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How many people use USDT according to Tether's CEO?
Paolo Ardoino said at Plan ₿ Forum 2026 in Lugano that Tether now has more than 730 million users, with 30 million new wallets added every quarter.
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Why does Paolo Ardoino describe USDT as 300 lines of code?
He framed the dollar stablecoin as essentially a smart contract, arguing that roughly 300 lines of code created a product that changed people's lives at massive scale.
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How does Tether's wallet growth compare to other fintech companies?
Ardoino claimed Tether adds 30 million wallets per quarter, a growth rate he says is faster than any other fintech company.
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Who uses USDT in high-inflation countries and why?
Ordinary people in countries with annual inflation as high as 100% use USDT to access US dollars, preserving savings without needing a traditional bank account.
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What is the Plan ₿ Forum where the Tether CEO made these remarks?
It is a Bitcoin-focused conference held in Lugano, Switzerland, where Ardoino spoke about USDT's user base and adoption in emerging markets.
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