The US Dollar is the most acceptable currency in settling transactions worldwide. Alongside dollar, few more currencies, which include GBP (Great Britain Pound), Euro, DM (Deutschemark), JPY (Japanese Yen), have also enjoyed worldwide acceptability in carrying out international trades. However, the use of these currencies has been very limited compared to the widespread use of dollars. During the last few decades, the US has been very successful in strategically making their currency unparalleled and uncompetitive worldwide. International trade has been extensively dependent on dollars, so people started thinking dollars are well-protected against threats.

However, the idea that the dollar has unchallenged supremacy has started proving wrong as a new threat is coming from within the US financial system. Many shadow dollars are now in the use of settling cross-border transactions which is considered a threat to the absolute dominance of the dollar. Shadow dollar is a kind of unauthorised and unregulated currency which enters the financial system and is used like dollars for settling transactions. Cryptocurrency is a good example of the shadow dollar. 

It is learnt that multiple unregulated currencies are undermining the American dollar. Even widespread use of unregulated currencies is damaging America's combat against arms dealers, sanctions busters and scammers. Local media reported almost as much money channelled through unregulated currency networks as through visa cards.

This channel produced more profit than BlackRock (largest asset management company), whereas very small manpower is required to run this unregulated currency operation. One unregulated currency, which is called Tether, a kind of cryptocurrency, has grown into an important driving force in the global financial system where as much as $190 billion transactions take place in Tether.

Tether is technically a quasi-digital US dollar, which is privately controlled in the British Virginia Islands, by a secret group of owners and its activities are mostly kept out of government’s watch. This unregulated currency is also known as shadow dollar that has gained early use among crypto investors. However, it has strong demand in other areas, mostly financial underworld allowing transactions which remain beyond the reach of the US authority. Wherever, the US has imposed sanctions and restrictions against transactions in US currency, many sanctioned countries and entities have been massively using this shadow dollar to settle their transactions and thus effectively evading US sanctions.   

How Tether works as a supplement to the US dollar in settling transactions across the world, is a very complicated mechanism. Tether Holdings, the company behind this currency, issues virtual coins to a select group of direct customers which are mostly trading firms and usually send real dollars in exchange. Tether uses those dollars to purchase assets, preferably US Treasury Bonds, which eventually back the coin’s value. In the wider world market, Tether can be traded for other tokens or legal tenders through exchanges and local brokerage houses.

There is a practice where Tether verifies the identities of its direct customers. However, most of its secondary markets’ participants remain out of direct monitoring. The tokens can be hidden through chains of digital wallets to obscure the real source. Tether has now expanded and diversified their business scope and is trying to remain present in almost every business area. They are now investing even in start-ups which use Tether every day for their payment.

As reported in the local newspaper, Tether has become the first successful unregulated currency which has emerged from the cryptocurrency revolution that commenced about ten years back. This unregulated currency has made its owners very rich. At certain points Tether has amassed $120 billion assets, which are mostly held in risk-free securities viz. US Treasury bonds, bitcoin and gold.

As most international transactions are settled in US dollars which goes through the US financial system, it is true that through sanctions and other restrictive measures, the US can prevent illegal transactions involving drug trafficking, arms smuggling, terrorist financial and money laundering. With these financial measures, the US can even punish hostile countries. However, such US measures can easily be bypassed if transactions are done in Tether which has been occurring and thus undermining the US dollar.  

Against allegations of sanction violation and involving transactions with illegal activity, this company has always taken a denial stand. According to a local newspaper report, this company is said to be collaborating with law enforcement agencies and always in constant upgrading their capacity to monitor transactions that attract risk of sanctions or other regulatory restrictions. They further said that Tether voluntarily freezes digital wallets when used for transferring its token that relates to sanctioned entities.

Dominance of a particular currency, especially in carrying out international transactions, is not a good sign for overall economic condition and as such cannot continue for an indefinite period. In the course of economic force and monetary principle, competition will prevail with the availability of other suitable alternatives. Since no other legal currencies could take the place of suitable alternatives, the shadow dollar is filling up that gap and therefore, undermining the real dollar.
__________________________________
The writer is a certified anti-money laundering specialist and banker
based in Toronto, Canada.
Email: [email protected]