On April 21, 2026, a Pornhub model shared a screenshot of an email from the platform informing participants in the Model Program that payouts in USDT would be discontinued in favor of USDC.
In the email, Pornhub said the decision was based on the fact that USDC is a fully backed stablecoin, compliant with the European MiCA regulation and operating in a more regulated legal environment.
“The transition will make payouts more reliable and secure for models,” the email says.
Technically, nothing changes for users: USDC runs on the ERC-20 network and is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, so the payout process remains almost identical.
Models who currently receive payouts in USDT must update their payment details in their account settings by June 1, 2026. After that date, payouts in USDT will be discontinued entirely.
The shift by a major adult platform from USDT to USDC is another clear example of pressure from Europe’s MiCA regulation, which is gradually pushing less regulated stablecoins out of the payment infrastructure used by services working with European audiences.