Tether Freezes $1.45M in USDT Across THORChain Vaults Before Unfreezing
Tether temporarily blacklisted four TRON-based THORChain vaults containing $1.45M in USDT, causing a brief trading halt.
Tether temporarily blacklisted four TRON-based THORChain vaults containing $1.45M in USDT, causing a brief trading halt. Tether (USDT) is trading at $0.9991. This is an original Token Times brief synthesising 2 outlets (Crypto Daily, Cointelegraph), plus live market data, as of Sun, 11 Oct 2026 16:45:01 UTC.
The incident highlights the power of Tether to unilaterally freeze assets and its potential impact on decentralized finance protocols. It also raises questions about the transparency and control mechanisms within THORChain's vaults.
- Tether froze $1.45M USDT across four THORChain TRON vaults.
- Funds were frozen and subsequently unfrozen without explanation.
- USDT market cap remains at $184.08B despite the incident.
Multiple outlets report that Tether froze approximately $1.45 million in USDT across four THORChain TRON vaults before unfreezing the funds. Crypto Daily states the addresses appeared unfrozen after the temporary freeze, while Cointelegraph cites THORChain technical co-founder Chad Barraford confirming the freeze and subsequent unfreeze without providing an explanation for the action. No outlet contradicts the $1.45 million figure or the sequence of events.
- Tether Freezes $1.45M USDT on TRON, Disrupts THORChain Operations
- Tether Freezes $1.45M in USDT Across THORChain Vaults Before Unfreezing — this brief
Tether, the company behind the largest stablecoin USDT, temporarily froze approximately $1.45 million in USDT across four THORChain vaults based on the 
TRON blockchain. This action resulted in a temporary halt in trading activities involving these specific vault addresses.
According to Crypto Daily, the addresses were eventually unfrozen, but the publication did not provide details on the duration of the freeze or the reasons behind it. Cointelegraph, on the other hand, reported that Chad Barraford, the technical co-founder of THORChain, confirmed the freeze and subsequent unfreeze of the funds but noted that no explanation was provided for the action.
The incident has raised concerns about the control and transparency mechanisms within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. While THORChain operates as a decentralized network, the ability of Tether to unilaterally freeze assets highlights the centralization risks present in the DeFi ecosystem.
The broader cryptocurrency market remained relatively stable during this incident, with the total market cap at $2.88 trillion and 
Bitcoin showing a modest 0.14% increase over the past 24 hours. The Fear & Greed Index stands at 61, indicating a 'Greed' sentiment among investors.
Tether's USDT, despite the freeze, maintained its value at $0.999098, with only a slight 0.01% decrease over the past 24 hours. The circulating supply of USDT remains substantial at $184.12 billion, according to DeFiLlama.
Since this brief published about 5 hours ago, Tether (USDT) has moved from $0.9991 to $0.9991 — -0.00%.
The chart plots USDT's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from Token Times's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Not financial advice.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 USDT ≈ ₹104.4 (about $0.9991), down 0.0% over 24 hours. The rupee itself trades about 7.9% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Indian buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the assets in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
Figures and sectors in this story, checked live against on-chain aggregators · October 11, 2026.
Token Times reads these figures directly from on-chain aggregators (DeFiLlama, mempool.space) at build time — independent of what any outlet reported. Sector totals aggregate every protocol DeFiLlama tracks in that category. Values are live and will change.
Tether Freezes $1.45M in USDT Across THORChain Vaults Before — questions & answers
Why did Tether freeze the USDT in THORChain vaults?
The exact reason for the freeze is unclear as no official explanation was provided.
How long were the funds frozen?
The duration of the freeze is not specified in the available reports.
What impact did the freeze have on USDT's price?
USDT's price saw a minimal 0.01% decrease during the 24-hour period.
How much is 1 Tether worth in rupee today?
About ₹104.4 at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Indians typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $0.9991. The rupee price moves with both USDT's US-dollar price and the USDT/INR rate; use our Tether in rupee page for any amount.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Crypto Daily, Cointelegraph, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.