TUSD under attack following Prime Trust insolvency

Prime Trust’s insolvency has led traders to short TUSD despite claims it had “no exposure”

article-image

HFA_Illustrations/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Traders are rushing to short stablecoin TrueUSD.

The mounting short interest comes after cryptocurrency custodian Prime Trust could no longer fulfill withdrawal requests — and after BitGo yanked its bid to purchase Prime Trust. 

US-based Prime Trust — known for fiat to digital asset on- and off-ramps — had before that been struggling for cash and had recently been ordered by a Nevada financial regulator to half operations under a cease-and-desist order.

TUSD representatives have said the stablecoin is unaffected by the situation, claiming it had “no exposure” to Prime Trust and maintained “multiple USD rails for minting and redemption.”

Protos reported earlier this week that TUSD had paused routine attestations of the stablecoin, and no shortage of traders have continued to place short bets against it since. 

On Aave, traders are paying up to 50% APY to short the asset, with one user placing a $4 million short on the stablecoin.

Loading Tweet..

The TUSD Curve Pool shows similar signs — with its currency reserves reaching 61%

A Twitter user who goes by etheraltog, noted that users attempting to redeem TUSD are getting it re-minted to their wallets.

Loading Tweet..

TUSD slightly depegged from the dollar but regained its $1 peg through midday Friday.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

In 2014, Microsoft virus scanners were detecting viruses in Bitcoin software

article-image

Ledn’s Mauricio Di Bartolomeo explained how this cycle’s been different for the lender

article-image

The shorts looking for funding range from charming animated series to gritty live-action dramas

article-image

Money, it turns out, is emergent, like consciousness

article-image

Bridge flows churn in both directions as risk appetite returns

article-image

Even with an uncertain outlook thanks to tariffs, Big Tech executives are still ramping up their AI investments