Tether USAT Celo launch lets stablecoin users skip the gas token step
On July 29, 2026, Tether’s USAT stablecoin quietly crossed a milestone that most market participants have been watching since the token first launched on Ethereum in January. The Tether USAT Celo launch marked the first time the GENIUS Act-compliant stablecoin deployed on a blockchain outside Ethereum — and the way it landed on Celo tells you quite a bit about where Tether’s regulated stablecoin strategy is heading.
Key takeaways
- USAT went live on the Celo network on July 29, 2026, its first deployment beyond Ethereum since January.
- Celo’s CIP-64 upgrade lets USAT holders pay gas fees directly with USAT, removing the need for a separate token.
- USAT’s market cap stands at roughly $185 million, dwarfed by USDT’s $180 billion but growing.
- Celo has been Tether’s largest USDT distribution network by weekly active users since 2024.
- Valora wallet already supports USAT on Celo; Opera’s MiniPay, with over 18 million users, has not yet added support.
Tether USAT Launches on Celo as First Deployment Beyond Ethereum
The deployment was first signaled back in March, so the July go-live wasn’t a surprise. But what it represents is still significant. Anchorage Digital Bank, the federally chartered institution that issues USAT, confirmed the token now supports native minting, burning, and gas-fee payments directly on Celo — capabilities that go beyond a simple bridge or wrapped-token arrangement.
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