Nikolas Sargeant
Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, has announced it will move its headquarters and subsidiaries to El Salvador after securing an operating license in the country. The company cited El Salvador’s "forward-thinking policies," favorable regulatory environment, and its growing Bitcoin-savvy community as key reasons for the move.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino described the decision as a "natural progression," emphasizing the opportunity to foster collaboration and strengthen the company’s focus on emerging markets. The relocation follows reports that Tether executives, including Ardoino and COO Claudia Lagorio, had acquired real estate and obtained citizenship in El Salvador in 2024.
Tether has recently expanded its geography by investing in technology to promote stablecoins in Europe. This followed an abandoned attempt at creating their own stablecoin following the rolling out of MiCA regulations across the continent.
El Salvador Leads Crypto Regulation with Digital Assets Securities Law
Since the enactment of the Digital Assets Securities Law in January 2023, El Salvador has positioned itself as a leader in cryptocurrency regulation. For example Bitfinex also recently moved its headquarters to El Salvador. The new framework allows businesses to tokenize a wide range of assets, including treasury bills and real estate. Bitfinex Securities was among the first to embrace this innovation, obtaining its DASP license in April 2023 and launching a tokenized U.S. Treasury bills offering in November 2024, overcoming obstacles encountered in previous tokenization efforts.
