Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the stablecoin blocklist and freeze terms used across blocklist.fyi. See also the FAQ.
- Blocklist
- A list, controlled by a stablecoin's issuer, of addresses barred from transacting with the token. An address on the blocklist cannot send or receive that stablecoin.
- Blocklisting event
- The on-chain transaction that adds an address to the blocklist. It is public and timestamped, which is what makes independent tracking possible.
- Freeze
- The practical effect of being blocklisted: the address's stablecoin balance becomes non-transferable and is stuck in place.
- Destroy (burn)
- An issuer action that permanently removes a frozen balance from supply. After freezing an address, the issuer can destroy the tokens so they can never move again.
- Unblocklist
- Removal of an address from the blocklist, restoring its ability to transfer the token. Uncommon but does happen.
- At-freeze balance
- The token balance an address held at the exact moment it was frozen - the amount effectively locked by the blocklisting. blocklist.fyi records this for each event.
- Pending blocklisting
- A freeze that has been proposed through a multi-signature wallet but not yet executed. Once the required signers confirm it, it becomes a confirmed blocklisting.
- Multi-sig proposal
- A transaction that requires several signers to approve before it executes. Issuers such as Tether often freeze addresses through a multi-sig, creating a short pending window.
- USDT (Tether)
- The largest stablecoin by supply, issued by Tether. It has an issuer-controlled blocklist and is deployed on many chains, with the most supply on TRON and Ethereum.
- USDC (Circle)
- A major stablecoin issued by Circle, also with an issuer-controlled blocklist, deployed across many chains.
- TRC-20
- The token standard for assets on the TRON blockchain. TRON's USDT is a TRC-20 token, and most USDT freezes occur there.
- ERC-20
- The token standard on Ethereum-compatible chains. Ethereum's USDT and USDC are ERC-20 tokens.
- Escape (during the gap)
- Funds moved out of an address after a freeze was proposed but before it executed - value that got away during the multi-sig window. blocklist.fyi measures this per event.