Report: Iran's Central Bank Purchases Over $500 Million in Crypto Assets in the Past Year to Address Rial Crisis

ChainCatcher reports that, according to Bloomberg, Elliptic's report shows that the Central Bank of Iran has purchased over 500 million USD worth of dollar-pegged digital assets in the past year to address the currency crisis and evade US sanctions.

The analytics firm states that the Central Bank of Iran made two USDT purchases in April and May 2025, initially channeling funds to an Iranian crypto exchange where users can hold, trade USDT, or exchange it for rials. The report points out that due to restrictions on oil exports, inability to repatriate export revenues, and exclusion from the SWIFT system, Iran's foreign exchange reserves continue to decline, impairing the central bank's ability to defend the rial's value and curb inflation. Using stablecoins helps Iran establish an "anti-sanction" banking mechanism and form a "shadow financial layer" capable of holding dollar value without US regulatory oversight. Previously, Chainalysis reported that Iran's cryptocurrency ecosystem grew to approximately $7.78 billion in 2025.