Tether Moves to Relaunch USDT Natively on Bitcoin via RGB Protocol

Tether is preparing to relaunch USDT natively on the Bitcoin network using version 0.11.1 of the RGB protocol, which recently went live on Bitcoin's mainnet, Cryptobriefing reported July 7, 2026. The rollout is being led by UTEXO, a Bitcoin native settlement layer that raised $7.5 million in seed funding in March 2026, primarily from Tether, and is intended to compete with Tron, which currently handles the bulk of USDT settlement. According to the report, the new version is expected to go live within weeks.