Tether Partners With UN Agency to Combat Illicit Crypto Flows in Africa

[Emjay24]

As crypto adoption in African increases, being the third-fastest growing crypto global market, the possibilities of illicit funds flowing through the crypto framework has also been noticed considerably. In a recent operation, INTERPOL uncovered $260 million in fraudulent crypto and fiat transactions accross the continent.

Tether has announced a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to address the rising threat of cybercrime and digital fraud in Africa. The initiative focuses on cybersecurity education and public awareness, with a specific emphasis on youth programs in Senegal and support for victims of human trafficking in multiple African countries

source.

Tether has started claiming dominance of African markets by joining the fight against exposure to crypto crimes in Africa through creating awareness and funding civil organizations to tackle human trafficking issues and offer protection to victims.

We all know the broader picture which is increased partnerships between Tether and African countries and Tether staging itself as the best choice for stable coin adoption and integration in everyday activities for countries all over the African continent with reference to transparency and good regulatory practices, sounds like a good marketing plan by Tether on African soil.

What do you think?

[Furball808]

I’m not African so I do not represent their opinions but to me this seems overall a good thing. Tether definitely knows their market. Africa has been a steady force in the crypto industry and partnerships like this only fosters it even more. It’s also a good thing that they are trying to address fraudulent crimes as to make crypto grow more and cleaner in the region. Curious if Africans think this will bring much stricter regulations.

[Nwada001]

They are already on the Africa market. It could be a marketing strategy, but I consider this partnership more like seeking collaboration and permission to track down some individuals and addresses linked to those individuals and freeze assets, which is what they are actively doing this period. Once an address is suspected to be linked to a scam, they take action first before asking questions later.

[Die_empty]

They are already on the Africa market. It could be a marketing strategy, but I consider this partnership more like seeking collaboration and permission to track down some individuals and addresses linked to those individuals and freeze assets, which is what they are actively doing this period. Once an address is suspected to be linked to a scam, they take action first before asking questions later.

If this partnership will help to tackle cybercrime and digital fraud, it's a welcome development. Africa has become a hub for human trafficking and other crimes, and some of the proceeds from these crimes are in crypto.

It is also not just about curbing crime. Tether's collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is also for social corporate responsibility since it is promoting cybersecurity education and public awareness. This organisation also has plans to teach, mentor and give grants to youths in some African countries. It's good news.   

[Odohu]

This may look like a good development but I'm wondering how they will achieve anything significant from this since the criminal can easily switch their operation to another chain and can even hide their money through mixers. Although my knowledge is not broad in this security aspect but if it is what I have been hearing recently, it confirms that Tether actually have coin freezing abilities embedded in their code and that makes it risky for both criminals and legitimate users. I will follow on this development to see where this is going but as a precaution, it will be safer for people to consider holding their assets in Bitcoin and not in anything else.

[AVE5]

As crypto adoption in African increases, being the third-fastest growing crypto global market, the possibilities of illicit funds flowing through the crypto framework has also been noticed considerably. In a recent operation, INTERPOL uncovered $260 million in fraudulent crypto and fiat transactions accross the continent.

That's absolutely were those fraudsters and politicians with their money laundering gets it wrong in crypto, they always believe the digitality, unregulated and the height of anonymities of the technology can shelter them like a safer to accommodate them with their fraudulent activities.
It's also good to see how speedy crypto adoption is sailing globally. It's also a cheer's seeing how Africans are being fully partaking in this great financial technology.
With how much scammers and the money launderers had not been comfortable with how the security agencies are tracking them within the Crypto in the US, maybe some lunatics from other far regions may think it'll be difficult for the international community securities to apprehend them.
Indeed crypto as bitcoin is a safe haven but not an avenue for scam free.

[coupable]

I’m not African so I do not represent their opinions but to me this seems overall a good thing. Tether definitely knows their market. Africa has been a steady force in the crypto industry and partnerships like this only fosters it even more. It’s also a good thing that they are trying to address fraudulent crimes as to make crypto grow more and cleaner in the region. Curious if Africans think this will bring much stricter regulations.

I am from Africa and I don't think this is a way to regulate crypto adoption, simply because I don't think USDT Tether is a pure cryptocurrency but a cryptographic form of fiat money. With real cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and monero, big authorities with big partenerships can't fight criminal use.
I want to deifferentiate between increasing adoption of stablecoins and the adoption of cryptocurrency use in general. Those are two different things and UN can deal with stablecoins but never with real cryptocurrencies.


Anothor major point is about the situation being the same whenever tether has been used, why to focus on Africa in particular?

[Darker45]

It's fundamentally good. We're all responsible for each other's safety, security, and well-being. My concern as always, however, is the right balance. Tether has control over its entire supply. They can freeze their asset wherever it is and whoever owns it. They can blacklist addresses. That's almost $200 billion of assets in various owners.

Do we have the guarantee that such power can be used responsibly? Not only that. Given that it's centralized and is operating at the mercy of powerful governments and their agencies, how steadfast they could be in the face of unfair pressure or command and abuses? Are we sure what they're doing in Africa is sincere or is it only a guise for something else? Are they willing or are they just being used? Can they say no to these powerful UN bodies?

In any case, Tether is an example why Bitcoin is relevant.

[JeffBrad12]

This may look like a good development but I'm wondering how they will achieve anything significant from this since the criminal can easily switch their operation to another chain and can even hide their money through mixers. Although my knowledge is not broad in this security aspect but if it is what I have been hearing recently, it confirms that Tether actually have coin freezing abilities embedded in their code and that makes it risky for both criminals and legitimate users. I will follow on this development to see where this is going but as a precaution, it will be safer for people to consider holding their assets in Bitcoin and not in anything else.

In every chain they have freezing abilities embedded all the same and you can trace bridged money easily using bridge explorer and every single one of them have it.
I'm sure they got all the sophisticated tool to trace the stablecoin, the same way $usdc use CCTP to bridge money inter chain and keep the information. Freezing money is piece of cake for them, even if it's in some random chain.

The freezing ability isn't even a news anymore. They all have it and one of the purpose is to combat illicit crypto flow like mentioned in this topic.

[KiaKia]

Tether is centralised, that can't be changed, so they have every right to do what they feel it's best, crimes are increasing in Africa and so many people in Africa are into cyber fraud and scams, if this move is going to bring many criminals to justice I won't stand against the idea.

I stand for privacy but crime is what I can't stand, even if tether is not centralised stable coin it changes nothing, many people are looking for privacy way because it helps their crime ways to stay out of sight, criminals are the ones giving privacy a bad look in crypto space.

Tether stable coin already have the freezing capability, this means we are all under their radar, we are been watched all the time and if any criminal funds are detected by them they will freeze the balance, it is not a bad thing to be honest.

[WillyAp]

An opposed business model to Binance.
In the times of the early exchange (Binance) Law enforcement did not ask for agreements,

[nikola22]

criminals may switch to other stablecoins, there is a wide choice now, such as USDC and USDS (formerly DAI). the trend toward controlling financial flows is not encouraging because criminals will find ways to evade control and ordinary people will suffer.

[Maus0728]

Really nice that they're putting the effort to combat illicit cash flow but to me, this is a fruitless endeavor because some smuggler would still be able to get what they want and I'm sure that it will be a difficult thing to do anyway given that cryptocurrency is supposed to be pseudonymous if not totally anonymous and I believe that the UN should probably put more money into putting more kids to school, developing a better foreign aid or something, and maybe even helping alleviate hunger and poverty in the continent, those stuff will help more people compared to this partnership.

[Hispo]

...

We all know the broader picture which is increased partnerships between Tether and African countries and Tether staging itself as the best choice for stable coin adoption and integration in everyday activities for countries all over the African continent with reference to transparency and good regulatory practices, sounds like a good marketing plan by Tether on African soil.

What do you think?

It is pretty much inevitable for Tether to forge alliances with law enforcement, as it has become very clear they are the most popular stablecoin on the market and also they want to stay full compliant with laws both in the United States and also in the European Union, that is good for their business (Tether is a business after all, isn't it).
They may be targeting Africa first before other markets like those in south America, due to the level of lawlessness there is in Africa, only comparable to criminality levels in the south of Asia.

I believe it is okey, Tether has never sold itself as a decentralized stablecoin, they obviously want to have the power to seize, freeze and oversee whatever addresses they want, for the sake of being in good terms with regulators.

[WillyAp]

They may be targeting Africa first before other markets like those in south America, due to the level of lawlessness there is in Africa, only comparable to criminality levels in the south of Asia.

Criminality is similar worldwide. No country is free of it, just in Antártica there is hardly any. It os a % of each people.   
I remember a guy saying Belgium is free of crime because he wasn't aware of the Childporn Ring  in the capital.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux

When I left Germany the country became aware of being the washing machine of all known and unknown mafias groups.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/05/26/germanys-criminal-underworld-is-coming-out-of-the-shadows/