📢 Criptoinforme launches the Digital Dollar Index: how much USDT costs compared with the official dollar in 8 countries
In Venezuela, a digital dollar costs 15.3% more than the official dollar; in Colombia and Peru, it costs even a little less. Starting today, Criptoinforme publishes this difference every day for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, using its own open index based on official sources: the Criptoinforme Digital Dollar Index. USDT…
How much USDT costs compared with the official dollar in 8 Latin American countries: Criptoinforme’s new daily index, based on official sources.
The essentials
Starting today, Criptoinforme is publishing a daily index showing how much USDT costs compared with the official dollar in 8 Latin American countries.
In the October 12 snapshot, Venezuela (+15.3%) and Argentina (+5.9%) have the highest premiums; in the other six countries, they range from −0.2% to +1.1%.
In Colombia and Peru, USDT traded 0.2% below the official dollar.
It uses the median of P2P prices and each central bank’s exchange rate, with a daily snapshot at 6 p.m. Bogotá time.
In Venezuela, a digital dollar costs 15.3% more than the official dollar; in Colombia and Peru, it costs even a little less. Starting today, Criptoinforme will publish this difference daily for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela in its own open index, using official sources: the Criptoinforme Digital Dollar Index.
What the October 12 snapshot shows
How it’s calculated
What it’s for
Frequently asked questions
USDT has become the pocket dollar for millions of Latin Americans: they use it to save, get paid from abroad, and make payments. But its price in local currency is not the same as the official dollar’s. The index measures this difference—the premium—every day at 6 p.m. (Bogotá time). Here’s how it’s calculated, what the first snapshot showed, and how to use it.
What the October 12 snapshot shows
Venezuela tops the table at +15.3%, followed by Argentina at +5.9%: these are the countries where access to the official dollar is hardest and people pay more for the digital dollar. Bolivia ranks third at +1.1%. In Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, the premium is no higher than 0.7%, while in Colombia and Peru, USDT costs 0.2% less than the official dollar.
Country Official exchange rate USDT premium
Venezuela BCV +15.3%
Argentina Wholesale rate (BCRA) +5.9%
Bolivia Reference rate (BCB) +1.1%
Brazil PTAX (Central Bank) +0.7%
Mexico FIX (Banxico) +0.5%
Chile Observed exchange rate* +0.2%
Colombia TRM −0.2%
Peru SBS selling rate (BCRP) −0.2%
Snapshot for October 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. (Bogotá time). *Chile: latest official figure available (previous snapshot). USDT price: median across the P2P markets monitored by usdthoy.com.
How it’s calculated
The price of USDT. For each country, we take the median of USDT buy prices on the P2P markets monitored by usdthoy.com. The median prevents a single listing with an unusually high or low price from skewing the result.
The official exchange rate. BCV in Venezuela, the BCRA wholesale rate in Argentina, the Central Bank of Bolivia, the PTAX rate from the Central Bank of Brazil, the observed exchange rate from the Central Bank of Chile, the TRM in Colombia, the FIX rate from Banxico in Mexico, and the SBS selling exchange rate published by the BCRP in Peru.
The formula. Premium = (USDT price ÷ official exchange rate − 1) × 100.
If a source fails. The index uses the latest valid figure and marks it as such, as happened with Chile today.
What it’s for
If you get paid or save in USDT, the premium tells you how much more (or less) your digital dollar is worth than the official dollar before you exchange it for local currency.
If you’re a journalist, analyst, or work at a fintech company, this is a daily figure that lets you compare countries—a figure that until now wasn’t available in one place.
If you live in Venezuela, the daily figure also appears in our guide to the gap between the BCV dollar and USDT, and we compare it with the government’s figure in this article about the 11.7% gap.
Criptoinforme’s take: the first snapshot confirms what many readers feel in their wallets: where the official dollar is hard to get, the digital dollar is expensive; where the foreign exchange market is open, USDT costs practically the same. The index’s value lies in tracking it day by day and comparing countries using the same criteria.
Would you like to receive the analysis every week? Criptoinforme newsletter subscribers receive the index analysis every Saturday. The full methodology, sources for each country, and limitations are available on the index page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the digital dollar premium?
It’s how much more (or less) a USDT costs in local currency compared with that country’s official exchange rate, expressed as a percentage.
How often is it updated?
Every day, with a snapshot at 6 p.m. Bogotá time.
How should I cite the index?
As “Criptoinforme Digital Dollar Index, snapshot for” followed by the date, with a link to the index page. Media outlets may use the figures at no cost.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Sources: Criptoinforme Digital Dollar Index (October 12, 2026 snapshot); usdthoy.com (P2P prices); BCV, BCRA, BCB, Central Bank of Brazil, Central Bank of Chile, Banco de la República (TRM), Banxico, and BCRP/SBS.