2024

United

USDT-issuer Tether says it will freeze addresses linked to sanctioned entities following a report that Venezuela’s state-run oil company was using the stablecoin to bypass sanctions.
A spokesperson from Tether told Cointelegraph that the company remains committed to stopping payments linked to Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned entities:
<blockquote>
 "Tether respects the OFAC SDN list and is committed to working to ensure sanction addresses are frozen promptly."
</blockquote>
This comes after an exclusive report from Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/venezuela-accelerate-cryptocurrency-shift-oil-sanctions-return-2024-04-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">claimed</a> that Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, has been using cryptocurrencies to facilitate its crude oil and fuel exports. The country is facing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/world/americas/us-oil-sanctions-venezuela-maduro.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">new oil sanctions reimposed</a> by the United States.
According to the report, the U.S. Treasury Department requires PDVSA customers and providers to wind down transactions by May 31 due to Venezuela’s failure to implement electoral reforms.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/tether-usdt-stablecoin-ton-blockchain" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Tether’s USDT stablecoin goes live on TON blockchain</a>
The report, which cited anonymous sources, says the reimposed sanctions will make it harder for Venezuela to increase its oil product and export because companies will require U.S. authorizations to do business with the South American nation.
The sources claim that PDVSA has been moving its oil sales to Tether (<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/tether-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">USDT</a>) as a mitigating move to avoid funds being frozen in foreign bank accounts as new sanctions take effect.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-corruption-oil-maduro-e4bb5d055f16eae94c9bcec6c7a6dbf5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Reports</a>&nbsp;in 2023 linked cryptocurrency payments to a corruption scandal at PDVSA involving the discovery of $21 billion of unaccounted receivables for oil exports.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/stablecoin-competition-regulatory-engagement" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Stablecoin competition crucial for regulatory engagement — Tether CEO</a>
Reuters’ sources also claim that PDVSA has reworked its spot oil deals in 2024 to a contract model that requires prepayment for exported cargo in USDT. The report also suggests that the Venezuelan state-run oil firm requires new customers looking to conduct oil transactions to hold cryptocurrency in a digital wallet.
It’s understood that companies that looked to resume business with PDVSA following a six-month licensing approval from the U.S. in October 2023 had to resort to intermediaries to carry out the cryptocurrency payment requirements.
Magazine:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/north-korean-hackers-private-keys-flash-loan-attacks/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis</a>

Tether vows to freeze assets after Venezuela looks to crypto to bypass oil sanctions

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Apr 23, 2024

Middle East Goes Crypto: 500,000 Daily Traders Fuel Market Boom

Best Meme Coins to Buy This Week

Bitcoin Versus Gold: Analyst Says The Yellow Metal Is A “Slow-Moving Rug Pull”

Chainlink Price Alert: Will Chainlink (LINK) Price Go Up Further?

Top 5 Cryptos to Buy under 1$ before 2024

Is Bitcoin Price Going to Drop More After Monday?

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!