Tether Fuels Robotics "iPhone Moment" with $1.16B Bet on Humanoid Machines

Tether Holdings Ltd., the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, is in advanced talks to lead a €1 billion ($1.16 billion) investment in German humanoid-robotics firm Neura Robotics, signaling a bold expansion into artificial intelligence and physical automation. The potential deal, which would value Neura between €8 billion and €10 billion, marks one of the most significant cross-sector moves by a crypto-native company into the rapidly industrializing robotics space.

The investment aligns with Tether's broader strategy to diversify its vast reserves beyond digital assets. The company, which generated over $10 billion in profits during the first three quarters of 2025, has been aggressively allocating capital to AI infrastructure, energy projects, and commodity lending. This latest push into robotics underscores its ambition to leverage its liquidity-bolstered by $135 billion in U.S. Treasury reserves and $12 billion in gold holdings-into high-growth, real-world technologies.

Neura Robotics, founded in 2019, is developing cognitive humanoid robots designed for industrial and commercial applications, with plans to scale production to 5 million units by 2030. The startup has already secured €1 billion in pre-orders from clients like Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Omron Corp. and previously raised $140 million in January 2025 from investors including BlueCrest and Volvo Cars Tech Fund. The company's CEO, David Reger, has likened its vision to creating an "iPhone moment" for robotics, positioning humanoid machines as the next transformative consumer technology.

Tether's entry into the sector intensifies competition with established players like Tesla, which is also targeting mass production of general-purpose robots. The stablecoin giant's involvement could accelerate Neura's commercialization timeline, providing critical capital to scale manufacturing and refine its cognitive-robotics platform. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, who has championed decentralized AI initiatives through an internal skunkworks team, called Tether AI, has positioned the investment as part of a larger ecosystem-building effort. The company has also expanded into tokenized securities and digital infrastructure partnerships, including a collaboration with Vietnam's Da Nang city.

While the deal remains unconfirmed, sources indicate it reflects Tether's confidence in frontier technologies. The company has simultaneously pursued a $20 billion funding round at a potential $500 billion valuation and increased bets on Bitcoin mining and data-center development. Analysts note, however, that scaling humanoid robotics involves significant technical and supply-chain risks, particularly as projects like Tesla's Optimus and Chinese firms Unitree and Figure AI also advance.

Tether's foray into robotics highlights the growing convergence of crypto capital and traditional tech innovation. As institutional investors and private equity firms increasingly target AI-driven hardware, Tether's move could pave the way for further cross-industry investments, reshaping how digital-asset firms deploy their resources in the physical economy.