Now picture this, Aïcha, a single mother in Senegal, using Bitcoin Cash SLP to reach international customers and sell her handmade jewelry directly to the tourists. No bank fees, no middlemen. Just honest-to-goodness, down-to-earth, plain-shmancy access to the global economy. Now imagine that lifeline being cut off. That's the reality facing communities worldwide after Tether's recent decision to drop support for USDT on several "legacy" blockchains. Is "optimization" worth this human cost?

Whose Scalability Are We Prioritizing?

Tether is framing this as promoting “infrastructure optimization,” a step to prioritize “more efficient and scalable blockchains.” Whose scalability are we really prioritizing? Are we really just concerned about Aïcha’s capacity to feed her family? Or are we catering to the high-frequency arbitrage traders who shift millions in milliseconds between Layer 2 networks. Paolo Ardoino speaks of "greater scalability, developer activity, and community engagement." What about our current communities, developed on these so-called legacy chains? What is the point or value of their engagement and activity?

This is not only a technological story, but a story about power. It's about a centralized entity, Tether, deciding which communities deserve access to financial tools and which don't. And it rings a familiar, age-old tale of entrenched powers retreating from those they deem consequential enough to the periphery. Just as colonial powers redrew maps to suit their needs, Tether is redrawing the blockchain landscape, potentially disenfranchising vulnerable populations in the process.

Remember the 2008 financial crisis? We saved the banks in the last economic downturn because they were “too big to fail.” Now, instead of addressing that challenge, are we building a crypto version of it, where some blockchains are just “too small to care?”

Forgotten Voices, Unheard Concerns

I interviewed David, a developer who created a micro-lending platform on BCH SLP. "We chose BCH because of its low fees and simple smart contract capabilities," he said, his voice laced with frustration. Now, all that work, all that community we built — it’s in jeopardy. Tether didn't even consult us. To us, it feels like we’re being penalized for being too ‘plain jane’ to fit the mold.

This is the human cost of "optimization." It's the cost of prioritizing profits over people, of valuing speed over stability, of forgetting the original promise of cryptocurrency: financial inclusion for all.

These aren’t strings of text. These are neighborhoods. They are normal people who were drawn to the promise of decentralized finance. Now, they are stuck, scrambling to find alternatives while risking millions in financial losses in the meantime.

  • Omni Layer
  • Bitcoin Cash SLP
  • Kusama
  • EOS (now Vaulta)
  • Algorand

Tether's decision raises a fundamental question: who should control stablecoin networks? The real question should it be a top-down, corporate-controlled entity driven by profit motives, or should it be the community itself.

Community Governance: A Better Way Forward?

Maybe DAOs are the new solution to governance after all, and we should investigate deploying decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) into stablecoin governance. Now picture a DAO in which USDT-holders on each supported chain get to vote on the future development and state of that network. This new approach will better serve the overall community’s interests at-large. Of note, it will not be limited to Tether’s profits alone.

We all should be calling for more transparency and accountability from Tether. We need to ask them: what steps are you taking to mitigate the impact on marginalized communities? What are you going to do differently for the people whose lives and vibrancy depended on these "legacy" networks?

This isn't just about Tether. It's about the future of decentralized finance. It's about ensuring that everyone has access to the tools they need to participate in the global economy, regardless of their location or access to resources.

Will your community be next? Don't wait to find out. Protect and support these inclusive initiatives and efforts to expand financial inclusion. Push for equitable stablecoin governance and make sure that Tether hears all of its users’ voices. Only then can we create a better, truly decentralized financial ecosystem that serves all people, not just the wealthy elite. The complicity of silence is one we can no longer afford in any iteration. Let's be loud, persistent, and demand better.

Will your community be next? Don't wait to find out. Support initiatives that promote financial inclusion, advocate for equitable stablecoin governance, and demand that Tether listens to the voices of all its users. Only then can we build a truly decentralized financial system that benefits everyone, not just a select few. The silence of complicity is a luxury we can no longer afford. Let's be loud, persistent, and demand better.