RIADeFi
Refusal file · tokenized RWA

Why Ketju rejected Ethena USDtb

Memo v1Published by Ketju Research

A registry memo, published verbatim and versioned. Superseded versions are recorded, never edited away. A rejection is a judgment for Ketju's client base and thesis, not a universal safety claim. Not investment, legal, tax, or compliance advice.

The memo

REJECTED ON AN UNRESOLVED ELIGIBILITY QUESTION AND UNDISCLOSED CONTROL MECHANICS, NOT A CLEAR ACCESS BAR. USDtb is materially a wrapper on BlackRock BUIDL — described at launch as backed over 90% by BUIDL plus a stablecoin reserve for redemption liquidity — and BUIDL is already rejected in this registry on qualified-purchaser access grounds. The issuer itself changed structurally in October 2025: issuance, redemption, and reserve management moved from an offshore BVI/Cayman entity (Pallas) to Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., an OCC-chartered federally regulated digital-asset bank, with US Bank custodying the non-BUIDL reserve portion. That is a genuine step toward a more US-regulated structure, but it creates a live, unresolved conflict this review could not settle: Ethena's general application interface has historically excluded US users, while Anchorage is itself a US OCC bank now running wire and SWIFT-based mint and redeem — it is not established which rule now governs US-person access. Redemption minimums and fees are undisclosed in every source reviewed, and no source confirmed whether the USDtb contract carries an issuer-side freeze or blacklist function. Until eligibility and control are affirmatively confirmed, this stays rejected rather than assumed accessible.

What would reopen the file

  • US-person eligibility for direct USDtb minting and redemption is affirmatively confirmed under the current Anchorage-issued structure
  • Minimum investment size and fee schedule are publicly disclosed
  • The USDtb contract's freeze or blacklist mechanics, or their absence, are confirmed from primary contract source
  • Current reserve composition (BUIDL versus cash and other holdings) is disclosed at a specific, dated percentage

Facts on file

Verdict
Rejected
Exposure
tokenized RWA
Chains examined
Ethereum
Instruments
USDTB
Memo version
v1
Reviewed
Next review

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