enforcement action

Tether confirms minimal EQIBank exposure following $89M US asset seizure

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U.S. authorities seized about $89 million linked to EQIBank, and EQIBank said those funds made up around 80% of its monetary assets. Tether then said its exposure at EQIBank was below 0.034% of group assets, with one report putting that ceiling at about $64 million. The event also tied the bank’s strain to litigation involving Capstone Ltd. and to a liquidation risk mentioned by EQIBank.

Key claims & sources

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U.S. authorities seized roughly $89 million connected to EQIBank.
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EQIBank said the seized funds accounted for about 80% of its monetary assets and that the situation could put it at risk of liquidation.
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EQIBank is a Dominica-licensed bank, and the seizure was tied to Capstone Ltd. in the available coverage.
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Tether said it had no knowledge of the conduct alleged by prosecutors and did not disclose the exact amount it held with EQIBank.

What it means

EQIBank’s customers and counterparties are the ones most likely to notice the seizure first, because the bank said the frozen funds made up about 80% of its monetary assets. That leaves its day-to-day ability to move money in question, and the bank linked the matter to a liquidation risk.

For Tether, the practical change is narrower: it said its holdings at EQIBank were less than 0.034% of group assets, so the bank’s problems do not map onto a large share of Tether’s balance sheet. The public detail that changed is the disclosure of the exposure ceiling, while the exact dollar amount Tether held with EQIBank still was not disclosed.

Still unknown is the full scope of the U.S. case around the EQIBank-linked funds and how much of the seized money sits with Capstone-related activity. What would settle that is the next court filing or a fuller statement from the bank or prosecutors, because the current coverage does not give the complete breakdown.

Market reaction i

TetherUSDT the event is about this asset
first headline
0.0% 2 h before
0.0% 4 h after
$0.9997price at publication
13data points

Coverage timeline

Every piece in order, with the time its news medium declares — if it is not believable we use ours and say so — and what it added to what was already known at that point. Arriving first is not the same as adding something.

first
Sep 25 14:32
CoinDesk scoop
Breaks the event: $89M and $64M
+4 h 59 m
Sep 25 19:31
+1 d 13 h
Sep 27 04:30