FALLSTUDIE | Diese neueste Beschlagnahmung legt das Banksystem hinter dem weltweit größten Stablecoin offen

BitcoinKE · 2026-09-25T14:33:03.000Z

Die US-Beschlagnahme von mehr als 84 Millionen US-Dollar, die mit einem der Bankpartner von Tether verknüpft sind, hat die konventionelle Finanzinfrastruktur offengelegt, die unter dem größten Stablecoin der Welt liegt. Tether’s USDT kann sich auf Blockchains bewegen, aber die Geldströme in und aus dem Ökosystem hängen weiterhin von Banken und Zahlungsunternehmen ab. Der Fall rund um die auf Dominica ansässige EQIBank und das US-Zahlungsunternehmen CapStone bietet einen seltenen Einblick in diese „Verrohrung“. KRYPTOKRIMINALITÄT | Die USA beschlagnahmen über 80 Millionen US-Dollar, die mit einem Tether-Banking-Partner verknüpft sind

The U.S. seizure of more than $84 million linked to one of Tether’s banking partners has exposed the conventional financial infrastructure that sits beneath the world’s largest stablecoin.
Tether’s USDT may move on blockchains but the dollars flowing into and out of the ecosystem still depend on banks and payment companies. The case involving Dominica-based EQIBank and U.S. payments firm, CapStone, offers a rare look at that plumbing.
 
CRYPTO CRIME | U.S. Seizes Over $80 Million Linked to a Tether Banking Partner
 
U.S. prosecutors are seeking to forfeit about
$84.2 million from accounts linked to CapStone, including
~$79.1 million at Wells Fargo Securities,
$1.86 million at Wells Fargo Bank, and
$2.06 million at JPMorgan Chase, as well as more than
1.17 million USDT held at crypto addresses.
Tether confirmed that EQIBank provided banking services to the company including wire transfers connected to purchases and redemptions of USDT. Funds linked to the bank were held through CapStone accounts at U.S. financial institutions bringing an offshore crypto-banking relationship directly into the reach of U.S. authorities.
The structure highlights a key reality of the stablecoin market – the blockchain is only one layer.
When dollars enter crypto to buy USDT, they still need a path through the banking system. When USDT is redeemed, dollars have to travel back through that same financial infrastructure.
Tether said its exposure to EQIBank represents less than 0.034% of its assets and that it was unaware of the conduct alleged by U.S. prosecutors. Based on Tether’s reported $187.8 billion in assets at the end of June 2026, the 0.034% figure would imply exposure of less than about $64 million although the company has not disclosed the exact amount.
 
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The government alleges Capstone used accounts at major U.S. banks to move funds while failing to disclose that it operated as a money transmitter and handled cryptocurrency-related transactions. Court filings also allege that some transfers involved proceeds from fraud.
For Tether, the amount involved is small relative to its overall balance sheet. But the seizure puts renewed attention on the intermediaries that connect stablecoin issuers and their customers to the traditional banking system, particularly where offshore banks rely on U.S. payment providers.
The case nevertheless highlights the banking infrastructure behind the world’s largest stablecoin and exposes a critical dependency beneath Tether’s global dollar network – an offshore bank, payment intermediaries, and major U.S. banks that form the bridge between an on-chain dollar and the traditional financial system.
As regulators worldwide intensify scrutiny of crypto businesses, that bridge is becoming just as important as the blockchain itself.
 
 
INSTITUTIONAL | Tether Reportedly Taps KPMG for First Full Audit in Bid to Boost Transparency
 
 
 
 
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