Tether gets its audit (at last) 🔎

The stablecoin issuer has finally received an audit from one of the Big Four accounting firms, after years of scrutiny over its reserves and disclosures.

Author

Stephen Graves
August 14, 2026

đź“ť What you need to know

Stablecoin issuer Tether has faced years of scrutiny over its reserves and disclosures. So when the firm announced Thursday that “Big Four” accounting firm KPMG had issued an “unqualified audit opinion” on its 2025 financial statements, you can forgive CEO Paolo Ardoino for being a little smug about it.

An unqualified opinion means that auditors found no major problems with the way the financial statements were presented—though it doesn’t constitute an endorsement of Tether’s business or a guarantee it can meet its obligations.

Nevertheless, it’s a vindication of sorts, after Tether’s $18.5 million settlement with the state of New York in 2021, and the $41 million fine it was slapped with by the CFTC that same year over its claims that USDT was fully backed by U.S. dollars.

Tether Claims 'Largest Inaugural Financial Audit' as KPMG Signs Off on 2025 Statements

Tether said KPMG gave its 2025 financial statements a clean opinion, a milestone for the company after years of questions about its reserves.

Bitcoin · BTCAugust 14, 2026
$63,135
â–Ľ 1.4% past 24 hours
View live price

đź“° In the News

SEC Shelves Crypto Rule Meeting Days After Senate Punted Clarity Act

No replacement date has been set for the meeting, which was cancelled due to an “unforeseen scheduling issue.”

'Bitcoin Is Burning': Red Team Turns to Chinese AI to Find Flaws

Bitcoin Red Team member Calle said Chinese models, including Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3, are finding bugs across Bitcoin’s open-source software.

Decrypt • Decrypt / Jason Nelson

Solana Can Be the 'Everything Chain' as Crypto Apps Go Mainstream: 6th Man Ventures Co-Founder

6th Man Ventures co-founder Mike Dudas says Solana infrastructure could carry the next crypto consumer wave.

đź“Š Myriad Insight of the Day

When will Polymarket's POLY TGE?
Aug 3%Sep 17%Q4 20%60% After 2026
    
Why it matters
Polymarket's CMO confirmed in October 2025 that the firm would ultimately launch a POLY token, with 5-10% of supply reserved for retroactive user distribution. The U.S. platform relaunched in May 2026 (a stated prerequisite for the TGE), but no official launch date has followed. Polymarket revamped its marketing team and expanded U.S. hiring last week ahead of fall events, per CNBC. Traders back 60% probability the token doesn't launch before 2027.
Trade

🕵🏻‍♀️ Editor’s Picks

Anthropic's AI Agents Started a Virtual War. The Chat Logs Are Unhinged

In a new red-team study, Claude models deployed self-replicating malware against each other — and the transcripts explain why.

White House Lets Private Firms Hack Cybercriminals—At Their Own Legal Risk

President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Tuesday that lets vetted U.S. companies carry out offensive cyber operations.

Anthropic Is Quietly Watermarking Every Claude AI Output. Builders Are Already Trying to Break It

Anthropic is weaving an invisible, machine-readable watermark into every word its newest Claude models write—and it hasn't said how.

🥇 Be First to Market With Myriad

Join the Myriad Markets Telegram to see the latest prediction markets the second they drop!

With Myriad, the on-chain prediction market launched by Decrypt’s parent company DASTAN, you can break the news and stake the news.

đź“š Watch & Learn

đź“ą WATCH: $BTC Sells Off, SEC Postpones, State of the Trenches with @RASMR_eth!

🎓️ LEARN: What Is Arc? The Stablecoin Blockchain From USDC Issuer Circle

Arc is a new Layer-1 blockchain developed by USDC issuer Circle, designed specifically for stablecoin-native finance.

Interested in partnering with Decrypt? Find out more here.