Tether is preparing to launch USDT natively on Bitcoin through RGB protocol v0.11.1, bringing the world’s largest stablecoin back to the network where it first launched more than a decade ago.

The company announced plans to issue USD₮ on RGB, a protocol designed for issuing digital assets on Bitcoin. Tether said RGB’s latest release allows stablecoins to exist natively on Bitcoin while enabling private, scalable and user controlled transfers.  

The rollout is expected within weeks, with software lab UTEXO leading commercial issuance and distribution. Tether Wallet and crypto exchange integrations are expected to support the launch.  

USDT originally launched on Bitcoin in 2014 through the Omni protocol, then known as Mastercoin. Its activity later shifted mainly to Tron and Ethereum as users sought faster transactions and lower fees.  

RGB is designed to bring tokenized assets to Bitcoin without moving activity to a separate blockchain. The RGB Protocol Association said v0.11.1 is live on Bitcoin mainnet and enables users to issue, send and manage assets directly on Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.  

The protocol uses client side validation, with assets anchored to Bitcoin and validated off chain. The RGB Protocol Association says this design allows privacy and scalability while avoiding third party validators, federations or coordinators.  

That structure matters for Tether because it gives USDT a way to operate inside Bitcoin’s security model rather than as a wrapped asset on another network.

Users would be able to hold and transfer USD₮ alongside Bitcoin in the same wallet, according to Tether’s announcement.  

Lightning support is the more practical piece of the rollout. RGB enables assets to move through Lightning for fast and low cost transfers, which could make Bitcoin based USDT more useful for payments than earlier Bitcoin stablecoin implementations.  

The move also comes as Tether faces pressure in Europe. Revolut plans to delist USDT for EU users by August 31 after Tether did not secure the required MiCA authorization, according to KuCoin. Purchases ended July 6 and deposits are set to stop July 30.