Key Takeaways What’s the impact of FTX’s $1.6B stablecoin payout?

The FTX payout will boost liquidity, but is unlikely to trigger a bullish breakout. Markets remain cautious about October’s seasonal tailwind.

How does the USDT activity factor in?

USDT supply jumped $6 billion over the past 30 days, yet late-September saw a $1.7 billion exit, signaling continued rotation away from risk assets.

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FTX [FTT] creditors have entered the third stage of stablecoin payouts.

For context, under its Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization, the bankrupt crypto exchange has been steadily repaying creditors, injecting billions in stablecoins across three distribution events so far.

In its latest announcement, FTX set the 30th of September as the kickoff for the third stage, with eligible creditors expected to pull $1.6 billion via BitGo, Kraken, or Payoneer.

“FTX today announced it is set to distribute approximately $1.6 billion in its Third Distribution to holders of allowed claims in the Plan’s Convenience and Non-Convenience Classes that have completed the pre-distribution requirements on September 30, 2025.”

Sure, the $1.6 billion rollout pales next to May’s $5 billion flood that drove major liquidity into the market. Yet, traders are still calling it “perfect timing,” riding October’s seasonal tailwind.

Here’s why: June’s first week ended in a bearish shakeout as high caps cracked support. This time, the seasonal edge may be the only buffer against a rerun, putting early October on watch for volatility spikes.

FTX payout drops into a market searching for direction

FTX rolls out $1.6 billion stablecoin injection amid an indecisive market.

Supporting this, the Fear and Greed Index has dipped into the “fear” zone twice in September, with the latest pullback to 40 marking a four-month low.

Meanwhile, Tether [USDT] has been strategically minting its supply.

Over the past 30 days, USDT supply jumped roughly $6 billion to $174 billion. The result? Late-September saw major outflows, with $1.7 billion USDT exiting on the 25th, marking the highest since April’s FUD.

In short, sideline capital isn’t rotating back into risk assets, keeping the market firmly in risk-off mode. 

FTX’s payout could boost liquidity, but it’s unlikely to spark a bullish move. On top of that, the rate-cut probability slid to 89.3% from 91.9% last week, showing markets aren’t buying October’s seasonal tailwind. 

In this context, FTX’s stablecoin injection looks more like a liquidity patch than a market kicker.

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