In 2025, $1.26 billion in USDT was frozen, including $698 million that was permanently burned 🧊
The USDT contract has a function called destroyBlackFunds. It was built in when the contract was deployed on Ethereum in 2017.
The process takes just four steps: an address is blacklisted → its balance is checked → the balance is set to zero → the amount is deducted from the total supply. There’s no reverse function in the contract, so once the balance is zeroed out, it can’t be restored.
📊 A few figures (BlockSec data, covering Ethereum and TRON only)
· In 2025, 4,163 addresses were blacklisted, freezing about $1.26 billion
· Of these, 3,506 addresses were on TRON, with about $853 million frozen
· About $698 million was permanently burned that year
· Since the start of 2026, TRON has accounted for 85%–97% of the weekly burn volume
🔁 What happens after a burn?
Tether can mint an equivalent amount of USDT to an address designated by a court or to a victim’s address, leaving the total supply unchanged. The U.S. Department of Justice described this process in a March 2025 forfeiture case in Massachusetts involving about $9.0166 million in USDT.
🧩 My take
1. The USDT shown in your wallet is, ultimately, a balance recognized by Tether. Blacklisting, burning, and reminting can only be initiated by Tether’s owner multisig, so courts and regulators also have to work through Tether to carry them out.
2. This switch is a double-edged sword. It can stop hackers’ funds and give victims a chance to recover their money. On the other hand, once an address is blacklisted, Tether is the only party that can take action.
👛 What this means for the USDT you hold
· If you hold most of your USDT on TRON, that’s also where most freezing and burning takes place
· Don’t chase a small discount when buying USDT over the counter—funds of unclear origin are most likely to get caught up in an investigation
· If you’re holding a large amount for the long term, consider spreading it across different addresses or using different stablecoins
At the industry level, Bitcoin doesn’t have this kind of switch; USDT does. Stablecoins are increasingly starting to resemble bank deposits on-chain. As compliance requirements become more stringent, these powers will likely be used more often.
Would this make you keep less USDT in your wallet, or do you find the ability to recover stolen funds reassuring?
The above is for personal views only and does not constitute investment advice. DYOR.
#USDT #Tether #稳定币 #On-chainData