Tether reportedly shuts USDT redemption for some Singapore customer groups

Stablecoin issuer Tether has reportedly changed its terms of service (ToS) in Singapore. An email shared by the CEO of decentralized finance protocol Cake DeFi on Sept. 25 shows changes to the company’s ToS prohibiting certain customer bases from redeeming Tether (USDT).

Cake co-founder and CEO Julian Hosp shared the email received from Tether, in which the company stated it cannot redeem USDT for United States dollars due to changes in its ToS.

Ok, so, I won’t be able to tell you if redeeming $USDT into $USD is actually possible, due to being in #Singapore, which was a recent change to the @Tether_to ToS from one day to another. Interesting. pic.twitter.com/1YzNqkbjMO

— Dr. Julian Hosp (@julianhosp) September 25, 2023

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Hosp stated that he is unsure whether Cake could redeem USDT into U.S. dollars due to being based in Singapore.

The key changes to the ToS of Tether include restricting its onboarding standards and “corporates controlled by another entity, directors, and shareholders residing in Singapore are no longer permitted to be Tether customers.“

The term “controlled by another entity” confused many in the crypto community, including Cake DeFi, which was informed that it is “controlled by another corporation in Singapore. Accordingly, you will not be permitted to be issued or redeemed from the platform.“

Related: Singapore’s central bank slugs Three Arrows founders with 9-year ban

X users highlighted Tether’s recent change in ToS comes amid a major crypto money laundering scandal in Singapore where assets seized from the bust have swelled to over $2 billion.

1 month after the massive money laundering bust in Singapore, Tether restricts customers in Singapore

Crypto firms have flocked to SG recently for friendlier regs. This could be a huge blow

W/ the HKG crackdown, the gates to Asia are closing for the crypto cartel https://t.co/yVu79bJHgb

— Rho Rider (@RhoRider) September 25, 2023

Another user speculated that the changes in the USDT redemption terms could be a Cake DeFi-specific problem, suggesting that the DeFi protocol is flagged as enhanced due diligence (EDD), and thus, it could be a partnership issue between the two firms.

This could be a @cakedefi issue specifically. It’s flagged as EDD – enhanced DD. I’m not suggesting anything is wrong at Cake, just that it could be specific tether / cake relationship issues.

— Hayden (@hayden_9776) September 25, 2023

Cointelegraph reached out to Tether for comment on the email shared by the Cake CEO and about changes to its ToS but did not receive a response by publication.

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