Tether is the Real Financial Inclusion Play; Not the NGOs, Not the Banks
bada bing, bada banger....
The Financial Inclusion Mirage
Every major bank, NGO, and policymaker loves to talk about financial inclusion; but very few actually put their (or rather “others”) money where their mouth is. Billions of dollars flow into initiatives aimed at banking the unbanked, yet in many developing regions, access to basic financial services remains nonexistent.
And then there’s Tether. No government grants. No charity handouts. No virtue signaling. Just hundreds of millions of people using it every day because it works.
This video above popped up on my feed today; it’s Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, who dropped a bombshell claim: Tether has done more for financial inclusion than any NGO, any bank, or any government program. And he’s absolutely right.
NGOs and Banks Talk; Tether Does
How many NGOs have spent years and billions of dollars trying to solve financial exclusion?
The World Bank and development organizations have spent over $46 billion on financial inclusion efforts, with major contributors including USAID, the Better Than Cash Alliance, and global microfinance institutions. Despite these investments, hundreds of millions remain unbanked, while Tether provides financial access instantly. How many banks have published whitepapers and reports about the need for inclusion while simultaneously denying people access to basic banking?
Meanwhile, Tether went straight to the people and provided this service to those who needed it most:
Argentinian citizens fleeing (hyper)inflation use USDT as a store of value
Nigerians conducting business internationally use Tether to bypass an unreliable banking system and deeply embedded corruption
Freelancers in Southeast Asia and Latin America receive payments in USDT instead of struggling with international bank transfers and high fees
People living under capital controls use USDT as their only stable form of digital money
Tether Is a Global Financial Powerhouse
In the same segment, Paolo Ardoino revealed something even bigger:
"We are buying back the US debt. Right now, we have around $115 billion of US Treasuries. If we were a country, we would be the 18th largest holder of US debt."
Tether’s U.S. Treasury holdings mean:
It is one of the largest private buyers of U.S. debt
It stabilizes U.S. debt markets by distributing risk across 400 million users globally
Unlike China, which once controlled $3 trillion in Treasuries and could dump them at will, Tether spreads risk across millions of independent holders, making a mass sell-off of U.S. debt highly unlikely, almost like a ledger (who would have guessed?)
For years, governments have tried to control the stablecoin market. They’ve debated restrictions, bans, and strict regulations. But the challenge for them is the following:
USDT is already too important to financial markets. It facilitates trillions in trading volume, underpins cross-border commerce, and serves as a lifeline for people locked out of traditional banking
The U.S. benefits from Tether’s demand for Treasuries. It has a stabilizing force in the U.S. debt market
Any attempt to ban or limit Tether could create instability; not just in crypto but in global finance. I just hope that’s not a bet Trump is willing to make with the GENIUS act
If regulators push too hard, they may find themselves undermining their own economic interests.
For all the criticism, all the regulatory fights, all the FUD, Tether remains the most used, most liquid, and most trusted stablecoin in the world. Not because banks or governments allowed it, but because millions of people needed it.
Governments can’t ignore it. Banks can’t replace it. And NGOs can’t compete with it.
In true Tether fashion, they never asked for permission. To this day, they feel comfortable asking for forgiveness.
I love stablecoins, Tether in particular, and I will be writing about the ongoing and ever-increasing future stablecoin war. Stay tuned for insights, drama, and analysis as it all unfolds.
P.S. In case you didn’t realize, I am not Patrick Hansen