Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, purchased nearly 8,889 bitcoin today, adding more than $1 billion worth of the asset to its balance sheet, as per the on-chain data.
The on-chain transfer brings the company’s primary treasury holdings to more than 86,000 BTC — cementing Tether’s status as one of the largest corporate bitcoin holders in the world.
The acquisition seems to be a part of a deliberate strategy to diversify Tether’s reserves into “hard assets” such as bitcoin, gold, and even agriculture.
Earlier this year, the company disclosed it held over 100,000 BTC alongside 50 tons of gold, while also investing in XXI, a bitcoin treasury firm, through transfers exceeding 15,000 BTC in June and July.
Tether has not made any official announcement regarding this transaction. Presumably this transaction is a purchase, but it could be a transfer for another purpose.
Beyond digital assets, Tether has acquired a 70 percent stake in Adecoagro, a Latin American agribusiness with more than 210,000 hectares of farmland across Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
By anchoring its balance sheet in non-sovereign assets, Tether has been positioning itself as more than just a stablecoin issuer. The company is betting that bitcoin in particular will serve as a long-term reserve asset — a hedge against both inflation and sovereign debt markets.
Piggybacking off this sentiment, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan wrote in a note that Tether’s rapid growth could make it the most profitable company in history, potentially surpassing Saudi Aramco, due to its access to global currency and money markets.
Tether’s $20 Billion fundraising gambit
The billion-dollar bitcoin addition comes as Tether pursues one of the most ambitious fundraising rounds in corporate history. The company is reportedly seeking $15–20 billion in fresh equity capital in exchange for about 3 percent of its shares, a deal that would value Tether near $500 billion.
That would place it among the world’s most valuable private firms, rivaling the likes of SpaceX and OpenAI.
Cantor Fitzgerald is said to be advising on the transaction, which involves new shares rather than existing investors cashing out.
Tether’s pivot toward US regulation
At the same time, Tether is preparing to launch USAT, a fully U.S.-compliant stablecoin designed specifically for the American market.
The project will be headed by former White House adviser Bo Hines and aims to align with the GENIUS Act, the U.S. regulatory framework for dollar-backed stablecoins.
Unlike USDT, which has traditionally operated outside of the U.S. due to regulatory pressure, USAT will be issued under American oversight, with reserves held by Anchorage Digital Bank and managed in part by Cantor Fitzgerald. The launch, targeted for year-end, represents Tether’s most direct challenge yet to Circle’s USDC, the leading U.S.-regulated stablecoin.
Earlier this year, Tether announced that USDT is returning to Bitcoin via Taproot Assets, with initial issuance on Bitfinex and interoperability with the Lightning Network.
