Bitcoin Magazine Covers USDT on RGB Protocol
On July 6, 2026, Bitcoin Magazine published a feature on the return of USDT to Bitcoin, reporting how Tether’s stablecoin is being issued natively on Bitcoin through RGB Protocol on Bitcoin (v0.11.1), with Utexo leading the commercial rollout.
The article, written by Juan Galt, quotes Utexo co-founder Viktor Ihnatiuk on the milestone:
“Finally, after eight years of development — if not more — we are the company that is launching USDT over Bitcoin with strong support from Tether.”
Bitcoin Magazine’s coverage centers on what makes this deployment different from USDT on other chains: RGB combines client-side validation with the Lightning Network, so transfers settle privately and off-chain, anchored to Bitcoin’s UTXO model rather than broadcast publicly on a shared ledger.
For a deeper technical explanation of how client-side validation works, see rgb.info/learn/client-side-validation.
The article also highlights two practical advantages of this approach: privacy through fresh addresses and off-chain settlement, and lower fees compared to stablecoin rails like TRON. According to the reporting, a public launch is expected within weeks.
It’s is not the first time RGB Protocol on Bitcoin and Utexo’s work on USDT has been covered: our own interview with Viktor Ihnatiuk goes into more depth on the business case for USDT on Bitcoin, including Utexo’s funding, team, and roadmap. Bitcoin Magazine’s piece adds independent, mainstream confirmation of the same story: Tether’s stablecoin is coming to Bitcoin’s base layer through RGB, not through a bridge or a sidechain.
Coverage like this one matters beyond the news cycle. RGB Protocol on Bitcoin has moved from an early-stage specification to a production protocol with real assets moving through it, and mainstream outlets picking up the story are an independent signal of that shift. It also helps draw a clear line between RGB Protocol on Bitcoin (v0.11.1), the version live on mainnet and supported by the RGB Protocol Association, and unrelated efforts that share only the name.
Read the full article on Bitcoin Magazine: USDT Returns to Bitcoin: RGB and UTEXO Enable Private Lightning Settlements
