Tether’s USDT Secures ADGM Clearance After RLUSD Recognition

• ADGM approves USDT as an AFRT, expanding its regulated multi-chain availability.
• Ripple’s RLUSD and USDT gain similar recognition as Abu Dhabi broadens stablecoin oversight.
• Binance secures full FSRA authorization, adding to ADGM’s expanding digital-asset framework.

Tether’s USDT has received regulatory approval inside Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), marking another step in the jurisdiction’s integration of stablecoins into its supervised financial framework.

The decision arrives shortly after Ripple’s RLUSD obtained similar treatment and coincides with a period in which several digital-asset firms, including Binance, have secured permissions from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The latest approval widens the number of networks on which regulated firms can offer USDT-related services, positioning the stablecoin for broader use within ADGM’s supervised environment.

ADGM Expands Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token Coverage

According to Tether, USDT is now recognized as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token (AFRT) under FSRA rules. The designation permits authorized persons licensed in ADGM to conduct Regulated Activities involving USDT across a newly approved group of blockchains: Aptos, Celo, Cosmos, Kaia, Near, Polkadot, Tezos, TON, and TRON.

The recognition follows earlier approvals that allowed USDT to operate on Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche. Tether stated that the latest decision reflects ongoing engagement with ADGM regulators and forms part of a broader expansion of network permissions extending beyond the previously authorized chains.

The company noted that multi-chain approval is intended to support settlement functions and interoperability requirements for trading activity and decentralized applications, subject to the AFRT standards and safeguards outlined by the FSRA.

UAE Regulatory Developments Draw Industry Attention

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the approval demonstrates the UAE’s ongoing regulatory progress in digital assets. He added that the update reflects the company’s focus on compliance and expands the availability of stablecoin-based activity across the region. Ardoino also stated that the framework provides additional avenues for institutions and market participants seeking to operate under defined oversight.

The update follows ADGM’s recent recognition of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, which received a similar classification earlier in the month. The two approvals indicate continued movement within ADGM toward formalizing pathways for fiat-referenced tokens across multiple networks.

The broader regulatory backdrop includes Binance’s recent clearance from the FSRA. The exchange received full approval to offer regulated trading, custody, settlement, and off-exchange services within ADGM, becoming the first crypto platform to obtain such authorization.