Tether has frozen more than half a billion dollars in cryptocurrency after receiving formal requests from Turkish law enforcement authorities investigating a large-scale illegal betting and money-laundering operation. The move follows an announcement by prosecutors in Istanbul confirming the seizure of approximately €460 million in assets linked to Veysel Sahin, who is accused of running unlawful online gambling platforms. While officials initially declined to identify the crypto issuer involved, Tether later confirmed it had blocked the funds tied to the investigation at the request of authorities. Tether Confirms Cooperation With Law Enforcement Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company acted after reviewing information supplied by law enforcement agencies, stressing that compliance with local and international laws remains a core part of its operations. “Law enforcement came to us, they provided some information, we looked at the information and we acted in respect of the laws of the country,” Ardoino reportedly said. “And that’s what we do when we work with the DOJ, when we work with the FBI, you name it,” he added, highlighting the firm’s broader cooperation with regulators worldwide. Growing Crackdown On Underground Finance The Turkish investigation forms part of a wider effort to dismantle underground gambling and payment networks, with authorities reporting more than $1 billion in assets seized through related probes. Analysts note that stablecoins are increasingly being scrutinised due to their use in cross-border transactions that can bypass traditional banking oversight mechanisms. Stablecoin Blacklisting On The Rise Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic has reported that stablecoin issuers, primarily Tether and Circle, had blacklisted roughly 5,700 wallets by late 2025. Those frozen wallets were estimated to contain around $2.5 billion, with approximately three-quarters holding USDT at the time restrictions were imposed. Tether has stated that it has assisted in more than 1,800 investigations across 62 countries, resulting in $3.4 billion in frozen USDT linked to alleged criminal activity. Market Growth Continues Despite Scrutiny Despite ongoing regulatory pressure, USDT continues to grow rapidly, reaching a record market capitalisation of $187.3 billion during the fourth quarter of 2025. Network activity has also surged, with monthly active wallets climbing to nearly 25 million and quarterly transfer volumes hitting $4.4 trillion across billions of transactions.
