Tether has historically, and continues, to dominate the broader cryptocurrency stablecoin market concerning overall market cap and general usage. Tether Limited issues Tethers (USDTs) and Tether was officially renamed ‘Tether’ from ‘Realcoin’ in November 2014 — with Realcoin initially distributing the tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain using the Omni Layer Protocol.

Despite numerous criticisms over the years, Tether has remained a pivotal source of market liquidity for cryptocurrencies as a stable price peg in a market rife with volatility.

The primary goal of Tether is to serve as a fiat alternative in the cryptocurrency markets, particularly exchanges, where skepticism by banks has led to endemic issues in many exchanges maintaining stable banking relationships to access fiat liquidity.

Fiat-collateralized stablecoins like Tether have surged in popularity, with a flood of new stablecoins entering the market. The centralized design of Tether is seen as an important hedge against the volatility of crypto assets since the fiat collateral held in reserve will continue to retain its value should the crypto markets collapse.

There is a growing trend towards transparency in the stablecoin market, and Tether’s reserves are published daily to assure investors that the backing of Tethers is at least equivalent to or more than the circulating supply.

KYC process approval is also required to issue and redeem Tethers in USD or EUR.

Up until March 2019, Tether was backed by 100 percent reserves of the equivalent fiat peg — USD or EUR. However, Tether Limited’s lawyer recently claimed that Tethers are backed by 74 percent cash and cash equivalents while the remaining 26 percent is upheld by short-term securities.

Despite the revelations and several instances of speculation on Tether’s full reserves, Tether has maintained parity with its 1 USD price peg for the vast majority of its existence, even during times of turmoil.

At a high level, Tether is what is known as a ‘fiat-collateralized’ stablecoin where a central institution (i.e., Tether Limited) issues and burns the supply based on demand. For example, if Alice holds 100 USDT and wants to redeem them for 100 USD, Tether destroys the corresponding USDT stablecoins and issues 100 USD to Alice.

The model is very straightforward, and firms behind stablecoins generate revenue via the interest accrued from user deposits in their bank reserves that back the supply.

Tether provides a market anchor to fiat currencies, particularly the USD but also others such as the Euro. Because its holders can convert their USDTs for USD at a 1:1 ratio, Tether essentially functions as a much-needed substitute for the often missing fiat liquidity in the crypto markets.

Tether is widely available on almost all of the most popular — and most liquid — cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Interestingly, professional arbitrage plays a critical role in Tether’s ability to scale while remaining stable — a problem for other forms of stablecoins.

When choosing between a TRC20 USDT wallet and an ERC20 USDT wallet, there are a few factors to consider. TRC20 and ERC20 are two different technical standards for tokens on different blockchain networks. Here are some factors to help you make a decision:

1. Blockchain Network: TRC20 USDT is based on the TRON blockchain network, while ERC20 USDT is based on the Ethereum network. Consider which blockchain network you prefer or are more familiar with. Each network has its own features, transaction fees, and ecosystem.
2. Compatibility: If you plan to interact with decentralized applications (DApps) or decentralized exchanges (DEXs), you need to ensure that the wallet you choose is compatible with the network they operate on. For example, if you want to use DApps or DEXs built on Ethereum, an ERC20 USDT wallet would be necessary.
3. Availability: Check if the wallet you want to use supports both TRC20 and ERC20 tokens or only one of them. Ledger crypto wallet supports both TRC20 and ERC2O tokens.

Ultimately, the choice between a TRC20 USDT wallet and an ERC20 USDT wallet depends on your specific needs, preferences, and the blockchain ecosystem you want to engage with.

The USDT (Tether) wallet address format depends on the blockchain network it is based on. Tether is available on multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Tron, and others. Each blockchain has its own address format.

Here are the address formats for some commonly used blockchains for USDT:

1. Ethereum (ERC-20): USDT on Ethereum follows the standard Ethereum address format, which is a 40-character hexadecimal string starting with “0x”.
2. Tron (TRC-20): USDT on the Tron network uses the Tron address format, which begins with the letter “T”, followed by a series of alphanumeric characters.

Note that these are just a few examples, and there may be additional blockchain networks where USDT is available, each with its own address format.

A USDT wallet mobile and desktop app is a software application or hardware product that allows users to store, send, receive, and manage USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency. It typically generates a unique address for each user, which can be used to receive USDT from other users or cryptocurrency exchanges. The app also enables users to send USDT to other addresses by entering the recipient’s wallet address.

Ledger Live app is an a user-friendly USDT wallet available for various platforms, including desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), and mobile (iOS, Android).

When you first buy cryptocurrency, you’re issued with two keys: public and private.

• A public key serves as an address that can be shared with other parties to perform transactions.
• A private key represents a randomly generated number that signs transactions and protects your assets from malicious attacks. If it gets compromised or lost, you won’t be able to access your cold wallet to spend, withdraw, or transfer your coins.

To safeguard and keep track of your keys, you can use online or offline wallets. Online wallets, also known as hot wallets, store private keys on systems or devices that are connected to the internet. Hot wallets are easy and convenient to use, however, they come with several drawbacks. Besides being susceptible to attacks and a honeypot for hackers, with hot wallets, the custody of private keys is often entrusted to a third party such as a crypto exchange, which means you never have full control over your funds. The safer choice are specialized hardware wallets that store private keys offline. Stealing private keys from a hardware wallet would require physical access to the wallet and corresponding PIN or the recovery phrase. What’s more, with hardware wallet, you don’t need to rely on third party custodians.

Ledger Nano is the industry-leading hardware wallet. With more than five million customers, Ledger Nano wallets have several layers of security that protect private keys, and hence your assets:

• Your private keys are stored on secure element chips.
• A PIN code and a 24-word recovery phrase are required to access the wallet.
• Ledger Nano wallets have been built using highly durable materials for protection against physical damage.

With full isolation between private keys and your computer/mobile, Ledger Nano cold wallets keep your keys secure and give you complete control over your coins.