Overview
- Economy Minister José Gabriel Espinoza said Monday that authorities are conducting a technical review to study how USDT could circulate alongside the boliviano and the U.S. dollar, but no legal‑tender status or implementation rules have been published.
- Several domestic banks and state actors already offer USDT services or pilots, creating operational channels that a formal framework would aim to regulate for payments and remittances.
- A prolonged shortage of U.S. dollars and the end of Bolivia’s fixed dollar peg have pushed businesses and consumers to use dollar‑pegged stablecoins as a practical alternative for cross‑border and import payments.
- Officials say any official integration must meet stronger anti‑money‑laundering standards because Bolivia remains on the FATF grey list, which requires upgraded monitoring and reporting across banks and payment providers.
- Supporters point to Tether’s recent KPMG reserve audit and faster, cheaper remittances as potential gains, while critics warn that dependence on a private issuer could weaken monetary policy and create systemic risks if reserves or controls falter.