According to a ChainCatcher report citing Bloomberg, a report by Elliptic revealed that the Central Bank of Iran has purchased over $500 million in U.S. dollar-pegged digital assets over the past year to address currency crises and circumvent U.S. sanctions. The analysis firm stated that the Central Bank of Iran made two USDT purchases in April and May 2025, with the initial funds flowing to an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange where users can hold, trade USDT, or convert it into rials. The report noted that due to restrictions on oil exports, inability to repatriate export revenues, and exclusion from the SWIFT system, Iran's foreign exchange reserves have continuously declined, weakening the central bank's ability to defend the rial and control inflation. The use of stablecoins helps Iran establish a "sanctions-resistant" banking mechanism and create a "shadow financial layer" capable of holding the value of the U.S. dollar without being subject to U.S. regulatory oversight. Earlier news from a Chainalysis report indicated that the size of Iran's cryptocurrency ecosystem reached approximately $7.78 billion in 2025.
Iran's Central Bank Buys More Than $500M in Cryptocurrencies to Address Rial Crisis
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Summary
Real-world assets (RWA) news highlights Iran's Central Bank purchasing over $500 million in USDT-pegged assets in 2025 to address the rial crisis and circumvent U.S. sanctions. The funds were initially transferred through a domestic cryptocurrency exchange, where users could trade or convert USDT into rial. As foreign reserves shrink due to oil export restrictions, revenue repatriation challenges, and exclusion from SWIFT, the central bank is leveraging stablecoins to establish a financial layer resistant to sanctions. News from the cryptocurrency exchange sector indicates a growing reliance on digital assets in geopolitical stress scenarios.
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