Crypto17 July, 20262 min read
Bolivia Considers Recognizing Tether’s USDT As Payment Currency Amid US Dollar Shortage
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Bolivia proposed recognizing USDT for payments due to dollar shortage. Stablecoins serve as dollar substitutes when dollars disappear, driving adoption in emerging markets.
Bolivia weighs USDT payments
Bolivia is considering a regulatory framework that would recognize Tether’s USDt (USDT) as a payment currency, allowing USDT to circulate alongside the boliviano and the US dollar for payments and savings. Economy and Public Finance Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza said the proposal would include anti-money laundering safeguards, while Bolivia remains on the Financial Action Task Force’s gray list. The initiative follows the lifting of the country’s crypto ban in 2024 and a new administration’s pledge to expand access to digital asset services.
The proposal comes as Bolivia struggles with a prolonged shortage of US dollars after pressure on foreign exchange reserves forced the government to abandon its long-standing currency peg earlier this year. As the gap between the official and parallel exchange rates increased demand for dollar-denominated alternatives, USDT became an increasingly popular payment tool in the country.
Miners pivot to AI
Investors are increasingly scrutinizing insider stock sales at Bitcoin miners pursuing AI infrastructure strategies, with Blocksbridge Consulting pointing to executives at TeraWulf, Cipher Digital, Riot Platforms and Core Scientific disclosing stock sales. The same reporting says many of those sales were made under prearranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, while strategic investors also trimmed their holdings including Tether, which reduced its stake in Bitdeer after the company’s AI-driven rally. The shift is tied to cooling enthusiasm for the sector, with the TEM AI Infrastructure Growth Index falling 16% over the past month.
Most stocks in the 20-company TEM AI Infrastructure Growth Index were down over the past month through July 8, as investors looked beyond the AI growth story to whether miners’ pivots flow to public shareholders. In parallel, CleanSpark shares rallied as much as 22% after the Bitcoin miner signed a 20-year data center lease in Georgia that could generate up to $6.6 billion in contracted revenue.
HIVE insider sales scrutiny
HIVE Digital Technologies’ insider activity is drawing debate over whether it signals a red flag or routine liquidity, after Director Marcus New disposed of shares totaling over $1.4 million on April 1, 2026. The transactions described include 400,000 shares at $2.22 for $888,000, 100,000 shares at $1.04 for $104,000, 20,000 shares at $4.92 for $98,400, and 50,000 shares at $7.17 for $358,500. Kavout also cites other insider sales, including Executive Chairman Frank Holmes selling 500,000 shares at $1.08 for $540,000 on March 30, 2026, and President & COO Craig Tavares disposing of 70,000 shares with a $0 value on March 31, 2026.
The same analysis says HIVE operates in cryptocurrency mining and high-performance computing (HPC) for artificial intelligence, with data centers in Canada, Sweden, and Paraguay and a focus on environmentally friendly energy sources. It adds that HIVE is unprofitable, reporting earnings (TTM) of -US$125.06 million against revenues (TTM) of US$257.14 million, while its Price/Sales (P/S) ratio stands at 1.8x.