In order to maximize cash flows, Tether has an incentive to grow the wider crypto ecosystem. Matt Levine wrote an excellent explanation in one of his recent “Money Matters” newsletters.
After the BUSD debacle, it’s clear that onshore and regulated reserves for stablecoins are a huge risk for defi dapps built on top of them. US policy regarding USDC and other such US regulated stablecoins are at risk of change at any time. Since well designed defi dapps are not upgradeable, future policy risks must be considered when choosing which stablecoin to utilize. USDT’s offshore and opaque balance sheet is proven safer for defi dapps than US regulated stablecoins. I wish this weren’t the case, but it’s proven in practice.