An American University claims that the bitcoin surge in 2017 was an act of manipulation and was created artificially by using Tether. A detailed report on this matter is actually published by a student and a finance professor at Texas University.
The claims directly mention Bitfinex, a cryptocurrency exchange and creator of Tether. There are nearly two and a half Tether coins in circulation now. The value of Tether is meant to mirror US dollar in the cryptocurrency world and to provide security benefits to volatile digital currency. Meanwhile, the allegations are denied by Bitfinex.