Venezuelans rush to stablecoins as bolivar instability deepens

Venezuela once again turned to stablecoins to offset the instability of its currency. The country has been known for crypto usage, but in 2026, stablecoin access is even easier. 

Venezuelans are rushing to stablecoins as a tool to offset inflation. Once again, the US military intervention in Venezuela pushed locals into cryptocurrency. 

Venezuela’s crypto adoption index is close to that of Germany, and the country has had multiple rounds of crypto usage, including through P2P platforms. USDT usage is also happening through unofficial exchange rates with the Bolivar, circumventing the government’s own less favorable official exchange rate. 

Stablecoins are also the technology that is used in an already dollarized economy. In the past years, merchants adopted stablecoins as a regular payment tool in the country.

Venezuela’s retail usage diverges from the government’s USDT transfers

Now, stablecoins are even more accessible through multiple platforms and wallets. Stablecoins are dollarizing the crypto space and whole economies, and are often selected for their predictable price. In the past years, stablecoins displaced BTC and ETH for everyday usage. 

‘Stablecoins are better dollars, but the reason people get them is out of necessity and out of self-preservation,’ Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, co-founder of digital asset lender Ledn, told CNBC.

‘Wherever they have limitations around dollars flowing freely, stablecoins are going to bust through the door,’ he said.

The adoption of USDT in Venezuela started over a decade ago. Retail usage is diverging from the state’s own adoption of USDT. Based on recent reports, Venezuela uses TRON-based USDT for its oil revenues. 

Recently, $182M of those USDT reserves were frozen just days after the country’s President Maduro was arrested by US forces. There are no direct links of the wallets to the petro trade, and Tether is yet to mention which wallets were frozen. However, large-scale USDT usage, especially on TRON, is widely tracked for potential illegal activities or payments linked to sanctioned regimes. 

Venezuela citizens drive retail stablecoin adoption

The Venezuelan bolivar wiped out its entire value, from 0.15 per USD a decade ago. The hyperinflation and currency crashes drove retail adoption of USDT for remittances. 

The retail usage is independent of the state’s crypto activities. Retail transfers are also smaller and may not trigger sanctions and freezes. Tether has restricted some of its activities in Venezuela, but the tokens are available through multiple regional or global exchanges. 

Venezuela users have turned to P2P markets, such as Binance’s platform. Often, retail users will try to bypass local restrictions through a VPN. Stablecoins will also fluctuate beyond their value on some markets, with USDT rising as high as $1.40, based on CNBC reports.

Despite the instability, stablecoins are still more reliable compared to Venezuela’s own currency, which has virtually wiped out all value. Stablecoin payments may also be a matter of convenience during periods of hyperinflation. 

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