Tether (USDT) market cap year-to-date chart. Source: CoinMarketCap
Regular minting of new tokens has proven controversial in the past, as some researchers claim that it artificially boosts Bitcoin (BTC) price growth instead of merely providing liquidity incentives. Ongoing legal problems for iFinex, owner of both Tether and exchange Bitfinex, have added to suspicions.
Nonetheless, appetite for Tether as the go-to entry and exit point for other cryptocurrencies and DeFi tokens has only accelerated this year, making USDT far and away the stablecoin asset of choice.