Under runaway inflation and heavy international sanctions, two countries have found the same way out—not through precious metals, not through some new crypto trend, but through seemingly ordinary stablecoins.

**A Realistic Portrait of the Underground Financial Network**

The situation in Iran best illustrates the issue. The rial has plummeted to its lowest point, and the public is rushing into the crypto market to hedge risks. Since 2023, reports have indicated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has transferred over $1 billion worth of stablecoins through shell companies in the UK, almost building an underground financial highway right under sanctions’ noses. By 2025, a major exchange experienced a hacking incident, prompting the government to impose limits on annual trading volumes, yet the outflow of funds remained unstoppable.

Now, look at Venezuela. USDT has transformed from an investment asset into a necessity of daily life—supermarkets accept it, gas stations recognize it, and it has become a circulating hard currency. Even more striking is the operation of the state oil company PDVSA: since 2020, it has been settling crude oil exports directly in stablecoins, tearing open a crack in the multi-layered sanctions web.

**The Double-Edged Sword**

On one hand, stablecoins provide emergency relief for ordinary people; on the other hand, they have become tools for sanctions evasion. This double-edged coin is quietly redefining the landscape of global financial power. As 2026 approaches, storms among regulatory authorities are already brewing—

What do you think? Is it more like a lifeline in chaotic times, or an unpredictable ticking bomb buried within the financial system?