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Craig Sellars

Tether Co-Founder; Chief Technologist of Omni Foundation, Omni Foundation / Self ID

Omni Foundation / Self ID website

Bio

Craig Sellars is widely identified as a Co-Founder of Tether (USDT) and a key early architect of the Omni Layer (formerly Mastercoin), the Bitcoin meta-protocol on which the first version of USDT was issued. He holds the role of Chief Technologist at the Omni Foundation, which governs the Omni Layer ecosystem. He is not currently identified as CEO or CTO of Tether Ltd., and his formal relationship to Tether's current operations is as co-founder with a historical technical contribution.

Sellars studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology (exact degree and graduation status unverified from first-party sources). His early crypto work centered on the Mastercoin/Omni protocol, a layer built atop Bitcoin's UTXO model to enable the issuance of digital assets and custom tokens directly on the Bitcoin blockchain — predating most Layer 2 activity. The first USDT (then called Realcoin) was issued on this Omni Layer in 2014.

Tether has since expanded USDT issuance to dozens of blockchains independently of the Omni Layer. Omni Layer is now a smaller, specialized part of the USDT ecosystem. As of August 2026, Sellars is associated with Self ID and Vatomic in digital identity and digital asset infrastructure — exact active operating statuses should be verified from primary sources.

Profile at a glance

Status: Active

Work & Project Background

Tether
Co-founder
Omni Foundation
Co-founder

Key Contributions

Tether Co-Founder

Co-founded Tether (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin by supply, as one of the original technical architects of the Realcoin/Tether system on the Omni Layer.

Omni Layer Architecture

Contributed to the Omni Layer (Mastercoin) protocol — the Bitcoin meta-protocol that enabled the first USDT issuance and pioneered token creation directly on Bitcoin's blockchain.

First Stablecoin Technical Infrastructure

Helped design the technical infrastructure for issuing the first USD-pegged stablecoin on a public blockchain in 2014, establishing a template that the broader stablecoin industry subsequently followed.

Omni Foundation Chief Technologist

Serves as Chief Technologist of the Omni Foundation, continuing to govern the Omni Layer ecosystem and its role as Bitcoin's programmable asset layer.

Digital Identity Innovation

Associated with Self ID and Vatomic, applying blockchain-based identity and digital asset infrastructure to new use cases beyond stablecoins.

Timeline

Georgia Tech

Attended Georgia Institute of Technology (exact degree and graduation year unverified from primary sources).

2012–2013

Involved in the early Mastercoin (later Omni) project, a Bitcoin meta-protocol allowing token issuance on top of Bitcoin's UTXO model. Mastercoin was one of the first ICOs (2013).

2014

Co-founded Tether (originally named Realcoin) with Brock Pierce, Reeve Collins, and others. The first USDT was issued on the Omni Layer on Bitcoin. Sellars contributed key technical architecture for the initial stablecoin issuance mechanism.

2015–2016

Tether rebranded from Realcoin to Tether. USDT adoption grew alongside Bitfinex and other exchanges that integrated it as a trading pair.

2017–2020

Tether expanded USDT issuance to Ethereum (ERC-20) and other chains, reducing dependence on Omni Layer while growing to become the dominant stablecoin by supply. Sellars' ongoing executive authority at Tether Ltd. is not confirmed from current primary sources.

2021–2026

Associated with Omni Foundation, Self ID, and Vatomic. Continues as Chief Technologist of Omni Foundation, governing the Omni Layer ecosystem. Exact operating status of Self ID and Vatomic should be verified.

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