Tether’s USDT anchors Venezuela’s oil trade and daily payments after Maduro’s January 3, 2026 arrest

On January 3, 2026, former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was arrested and transferred to the U.S., while the country continued facing sanctions and hyperinflation. Venezuela’s state oil company has been using USDT to keep exporting crude despite blocked banking channels, and ordinary citizens increasingly rely on the stablecoin for savings and everyday payments as the bolivar loses value.