Tether’s USAT stablecoin launches on Celo with native mint, burn, and gas fee support

USAT, the US-regulated dollar stablecoin backed by Tether and issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, went live on the Celo blockchain on March 31. It’s the token’s first deployment outside of Ethereum, and it arrives with native minting, burning, and planned gas fee payment capabilities baked in. What USAT brings to Celo The Celo deployment includes core infrastructure that makes USAT functional from day one. Users can mint and burn tokens natively, which means creating and redeeming USAT directly on the Celo network rather than bridging from Ethereum. Gas fee support, the ability to pay transaction costs in USAT itself rather than needing the chain’s native token, is also on the table. That feature is pending Celo governance approval, but if passed, it removes a meaningful friction point for new users who don’t already hold CELO tokens. Distribution will be handled through a Self proof-of-humanity faucet, supported by Google Cloud’s infrastructure. USAT is backed 1:1 by US dollars with transparent reserves and regular attestations. Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. handles all issuance and compliance, which draws a clear line between USAT and Tether’s flagship product, USDT. Why Celo, and w...