Is USDT used for payments in Bolivia?

Yes, increasingly. Bolivia lifted its crypto ban in 2024, Banco Bisa offers USDT custody, and Bybit Pay lets users pay Yape QR codes with crypto since March 2026. The government said in July 2026 that it is drafting rules for USDT use.

Crypto in Bolivia

Crypto is the new layer of Bolivian payments. Bolivia lifted its ban on crypto transactions in 2024 and recorded US$14.8 billion in crypto transactions from July 2024 to June 2025, per Chainalysis data cited by Decrypt. Since March 2026, Bybit Pay lets users pay any Yape QR code with crypto, and the government said in July 2026 it is drafting rules for USDT use.

Why Bolivians turned to USDT

A dollar shortage that began in early 2023 led banks to restrict card spending abroad for almost three years, until they reactivated international card payments in April 2026. With a parallel dollar that reached 20 bolivianos in May 2025 and inflation above 20% in 2025, many households held dollars in cash and stablecoins rather than bolivianos. The government of Rodrigo Paz then ended the fixed rate of 6.96 bolivianos per dollar and moved to a flexible exchange rate on June 29, 2026, with a first official quote of 9.73.

More detail in our #PayWorldTour guide Payment methods in Bolivia.