Adult entertainment industry leader Pornhub announced that it would discontinue using USDT and that creators’ earnings would be fully switched to USDC, making it more reliable and safer.

Major Driver Changes Payments! The adult video industry leader Pornhub announced on the 21st that, to enhance the safety and compliance of settlements, it is officially switching creator payouts (Payouts) from USDT to USDC issued by Circle. The company emphasizes that USDC offers more transparent audits and regulatory protections.
(Background: Circle founder confirms its stablecoin blockchain Arc will issue tokens, targeting AI proxy economy)
(Additional background: Circle CEO states they will not issue a Korean won stablecoin but are ready to provide “token issuance technology” for Korea)

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• Pursuing “more reliable, safer”: Pornhub embraces compliance
• Why choose USDC over USDT?
• From haven to regulation: the crypto transformation of the adult industry

On April 21, U.S. time, the world’s largest adult video platform Pornhub notified members of its Creator Program, announcing a policy adjustment for stablecoin payment settlements. Starting immediately, Pornhub will no longer support payouts in Tether (USDT) and will instead fully adopt USDC issued by Circle.

Pursuing “more reliable, safer”: Pornhub embraces compliance

According to an explanation provided by Pornhub to creators, this change in payment method aims to make payout distribution “more reliable and secure.” Currently, the payout page for Pornhub creators has been updated, with the original USDT option removed and replaced by USDC, while traditional payment channels like Paxum, Verge, and Cosmo remain available.

It is worth noting that this change primarily targets “creator payout settlements (Payouts)”. As for the payment process for users subscribing to Premium memberships, it appears that multiple cryptocurrencies (including USDT) are still supported, but market expectations suggest that this wave of “regulatory compliance” may eventually impact the entire platform’s fund flow.

Why choose USDC over USDT?

This change has sparked lively discussion on X (formerly Twitter) and within the crypto community. Analysts point out that Pornhub’s shift reflects the differing compliance profiles of the two major stablecoins:

• USDC’s transparency advantage: Issued by Circle, USDC releases monthly public reserve audit reports, with assets mainly held in regulated U.S. financial institutions, making it more attractive for platforms that need to interface with the banking system.
• USDT’s regulatory pressure: Although USDT (Tether) has advantages in liquidity and transfer fees (especially on the Tron chain), its reserve transparency has long been subject to controversy.

From haven to regulation: the crypto transformation of the adult industry

In the past, Pornhub was blacklisted by traditional payment giants like Visa and Mastercard, forcing it to turn to cryptocurrencies to survive, becoming a benchmark for Web3 real-world applications. However, as global crypto regulation matures, even platforms on the financial “fringe” are beginning to prioritize “bank-friendly” assets.