Bolivia Weighs USDT Payments as Dollar Shortage Drives Demand

Bolivia is considering a regulatory framework that would recognize Tether’s USDT as a payment currency, as the country faces a shortage of U.S. dollars and rising demand for dollar-denominated alternatives. According to Cointelegraph, Economy and Public Finance Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza said the proposal would allow USDT to circulate alongside the boliviano and the U.S. dollar for payments and savings. The plan is still under review and would include anti-money laundering safeguards, as Bolivia remains on the Financial Action Task Force’s gray list. The initiative follows the lifting of the country’s crypto ban in 2024 and the new administration’s pledge to expand access to digital asset services. The proposal comes after pressure on foreign exchange reserves forced the government to abandon its long-standing currency peg earlier this year, widening the gap between official and parallel exchange rates and increasing the appeal of USDT, which has become a more common payment tool in the country. Bitcoin miners pursuing AI infrastructure are also facing closer investor scrutiny as enthusiasm in the sector cools. According to Cointelegraph, Blocksbridge Consulting said executives at TeraWulf, Cipher Digital, Riot Platforms and Core Scientific have disclosed stock sales in recent months, with many transactions made under prearranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Strategic investors have also reduced holdings, including Tether, which trimmed its stake in Bitdeer after the company’s AI-related rally. The shift comes as the TEM AI Infrastructure Growth Index has fallen 16% over the past month, and Blocksbridge said investors are looking beyond the AI growth narrative to determine whether the benefits of miners’ strategic pivots will reach public shareholders. Most stocks in the 20-company index were lower over the past month through July 8. CleanSpark shares rose as much as 22% after the Bitcoin miner signed a 20-year data center lease in Georgia that could generate up to $6.6 billion in contracted revenue, highlighting its expansion into AI and high-performance computing infrastructure. According to Cointelegraph, the agreement covers a 175-megawatt data center at the company’s Sandersville, Georgia, campus and was signed with an undisclosed investment-grade global technology company. The tenant is expected to install computing equipment at the site, with phased deliveries set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027. If the customer uses two five-year extension options, the contract’s total value could reach $11.6 billion. The deal reflects a wider effort among Bitcoin miners to find new revenue sources as post-halving mining economics remain under pressure. While many publicly traded miners have reduced their Bitcoin holdings to support liquidity, CleanSpark has largely stayed a net accumulator despite selling some BTC earlier this year to fund operations. Bitmine Immersion Technologies reported $45.7 million in revenue from Ethereum staking and validation last quarter, with staking accounting for 98% of total revenue for the three months ended May 31. According to Cointelegraph, the company also generated $624,000 from self-mining Bitcoin and $168,000 from consulting services. The results followed the March launch of MAVAN, Bitmine’s institutional Ethereum staking platform, which was developed after the acquisition of validator operator Pier Two Holdings. Bitmine said it has staked roughly 85% of its Ether holdings, or about 4.9 million ETH. Chairman Tom Lee said Bitmine now stakes more Ether than any other entity and expects annualized staking rewards of $284 million once its holdings are fully staked through MAVAN and its partners.