Tether to Discontinue USDT on Five Legacy Blockchains by 2025

Tether, the issuer of the widely used stablecoin USDT, has announced that it will discontinue support for USDT on five legacy blockchains starting September 1, 2025. The affected blockchains include Omni Layer, Bitcoin Cash SLP, Kusama, EOS, and Algorand. This decision means that Tether will no longer redeem USDT on these networks, and any remaining tokens will be frozen.

The move is part of Tether's strategy to optimize its infrastructure and focus on networks that offer greater scalability, developer activity, and community engagement. According to Tether, the decision was driven by its commitment to maintain “robust and efficient transport layers.” These five networks have shown declining usage and community activity, which made their continued support less sustainable from both a security and operational standpoint.

Omni, one of the first networks to host USDT, has seen its relevance fade with newer, faster networks entering the scene. Similarly, platforms like EOS and Algorand, once seen as strong contenders in the blockchain race, have not gained the traction Tether deems necessary to continue support.

Users holding USDT on any of the affected networks should take action before the cutoff date. Tether will stop issuing USDT on these blockchains immediately, with full support ending by September 1, 2025. Redemption will still be possible for some time after issuance ends, but users are encouraged to migrate their holdings to other supported blockchains such as Ethereum, Tron, or Solana. This transition is expected to further consolidate Tether’s presence on high-volume, high-performance networks.

Tether plans to expand its USDT issuance to new Layer 2 (L2) chains, particularly those with native DeFi projects. The decision to issue more USDT on new chains will be based on developer activity and user engagement metrics. This strategy aims to catch up with Circle's USDC usage, which is currently leading in terms of stablecoin supply on L2 chains.

All holders of remaining legacy tokens will need to find tools to swap their assets before the freeze. Tether customers may request a reissuance on another chain, depending on where the tokens are stored. Different providers may offer tools to swap the tokens to another supported chain, ensuring that users can transition smoothly to the new networks.