Tether Signs Big Four Firm to Complete Its First Full Audit

Tether signed a Big Four accounting firm to complete its first full audit, setting a new transparency standard for the $180 billion stablecoin market.

Tether Signs Big Four Firm to Complete Its First Full Audit Tether signed a Big Four accounting firm to complete its first full audit, setting a new transparency standard for the $180 billion stablecoin market. Aaron Rafferty March 28, 2026 Key Takeaways: Tether announced it signed a Big Four accounting firm to complete its first full audit, moving beyond the quarterly attestations it has published since 2021. Over $180 billion of USDT is currently in circulation worldwide, making Tether the largest stablecoin issuer and a critical piece of global crypto infrastructure. The audit comes as the GENIUS Act's stablecoin framework mandates transparency and reserve requirements for payment stablecoin issuers. Tether has operated for years on quarterly attestations, snapshots of reserves at a single moment in time reviewed by a smaller accounting firm. That changes now. The company announced it has signed a Big Four accounting firm to complete its first full audit. The distinction matters. An attestation is a limited examination of specific claims at a specific date. An audit is a comprehensive review of financial statements, internal controls, and reserves over a defined period. For a company with over $180 billion of USDT in circulation worldwide, the difference between the two is the difference between a photograph and a continuous recording. Tether has been the subject of persistent scrutiny from regulators, competitors, and market participants who questioned whether its reserves fully backed every token in circulation. The company has consistently maintained they do. A full audit by a Big Four firm, one of Deloitte, EY, KPMG, or PricewaterhouseCoopers, would put that claim through the most rigorous standard available in financial auditing. The timing aligns with regul