USAT Stablecoin Launches on Celo, Expanding Reach Beyond Ethereum

Tether's USAT stablecoin has launched on the Celo network, marking its first deployment beyond Ethereum. This move gives USAT access to millions of users and offers easier fee payments and faster transactions.

The choice of Celo is significant as it's one of the largest distribution hubs for Tether's flagship USDT, with 28% of USDT transfers happening on this network. Additionally, Celo has seen user growth of 67% in the second quarter of 2026, with hundreds of thousands of users transacting daily.

USAT can now be used to pay blockchain fees directly through its native mint and burn functions, which is a key advantage over other stablecoins. This is made possible by Celo's fee abstraction system, introduced via the CIP-64 upgrade.

Tether US CEO Bo Hines stated that expanding USAT to Celo was a deliberate decision, citing the network's large user base already using digital dollars. The company is also integrating with MiniPay, a stablecoin wallet developed by Opera, which has over 18 million global users and will soon support USAT.