Tether is planning to invest more than $1 billion into various sectors over the next 12 months. The issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin is evaluating hundreds of pitches monthly. Its focus areas include alternative financial infrastructure for emerging markets. Tether has already invested around $2 billion over the past two years.
Tether makes big announcement
Tether’s USDT stablecoin boasts a market capitalization of approx $112.4 billion. The company has been investing the reserves backing USDT in US Treasury bills and other securities. While maintaining 100% of its reserves plus an additional 6% cushion for smooth redemptions, Tether plans to invest a portion of its profits into new sectors.
Tether is considering putting its money into infrastructure in emerging markets. It has already committed over $1 billion to artificial intelligence. It includes backing data-center operator Northern Data Group.
“We can offer AI computing to all the companies we have invested in,” Ardoino explained. “It’s all about investing in technology that helps with disintermediation with traditional finance,” he added.
The stablecoin market cap stands at $162.44 billion with a trading volume of $84.4 billion. USDC is the second biggest stablecoin in the industry with a market cap of $32 billion market cap.
Tether reported a profit of $4.5 billion, according to its published attestation. However, these attestations differ from full financial audits, providing only a limited snapshot in time without complete access to the company’s books.
What’s next?
The assets backing stablecoins like USDT have faced intense scrutiny from regulators concerned about liquidity and the ability to withstand mass redemptions under market pressure.
In 2021, Tether settled with the New York Attorney General and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over allegations concerning its reserves and financial practices, without admitting any wrongdoing.
Despite these regulatory challenges, It’s USDT has maintained its dollar peg, and the elevated interest-rate environment has contributed to its profitability.
“You can imagine that the news that Tether is making good money went around the world,” Ardoino noted. “We get tens or hundreds of deals per month that are on the table, and we only end up doing a very small percentage of that.”
