ChainThink reports that on September 9, according to the Financial Times, Iran is gradually easing foreign exchange controls, implicitly allowing businesses to use Tether (USDT) and Bitcoin for cross-border transactions to mitigate the impact of U.S. sanctions and war on its economic and financial system.
According to insiders, Iran’s central bank has quietly encouraged businesses over the past few months to settle cross-border trade through local cryptocurrency exchanges to repatriate overseas funds; companies can also exchange foreign currency on the open market and use export earnings directly to import goods, without needing to go entirely through the official foreign exchange system.
A corporate executive close to the Iranian regime said that the central bank does not inquire about how funds are transferred, and using cryptocurrency to receive export payments has become standard practice. Data shows that approximately $10 billion in cryptocurrency flowed through Iran in 2025;
Blockchain analysis firm Elliptic estimates that Iran accounts for approximately 4.5% of global Bitcoin mining.
Additionally, Iran still has over $100 billion in unreported overseas and domestic earnings, and the country’s supreme audit institution reported that more than 20,000 individuals and companies have failed to repatriate approximately €94 billion in export revenues.
Tether previously froze approximately $344 million in wallet assets linked to the Central Bank of Iran, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury has warned of sanctions risks associated with digital asset transactions involving Iran.