Tether Boosts Bitcoin Holdings by 10% with $735M Purchase

Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has significantly increased its Bitcoin reserves by purchasing 8,888 BTC, valued at approximately $735 million. This acquisition was executed through a withdrawal from Bitfinex, a crypto exchange closely associated with Tether. The transaction has elevated Tether's total Bitcoin holdings to 92,647 BTC, valued at roughly $7.65 billion, positioning it as the sixth-largest Bitcoin wallet in the world.

This move aligns with Tether’s previously stated strategy of allocating 15% of its net realized profits to Bitcoin as part of a broader effort to diversify its reserves. In addition to Bitcoin, Tether also holds gold and U.S. Treasury bonds to support the stability of its USDT stablecoin. The transfer of such a significant amount of BTC from a hot wallet to a reserve wallet is generally seen as a bullish signal in the crypto market. It reduces the available Bitcoin supply on exchanges, which can ease short-term selling pressure. Moreover, Tether’s large-scale investment reflects growing institutional confidence in Bitcoin’s role as a long-term store of value. Following the news, Bitcoin’s price edged up by 0.77%, trading around $83,170.

Tether's dominance in the stablecoin industry is well-established, with a market cap of nearly $144 billion, representing 61% of the entire stablecoin supply. The stablecoin sector itself is valued at $234 billion. This latest Bitcoin acquisition further solidifies Tether's prominence among Bitcoin-holding addresses, placing it as the sixth-largest wallet holding the cryptocurrency. Notably, Tether is the second-largest private firm holding Bitcoin, trailing only investment firm Block.one. In the broader context, only Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and the top three US Bitcoin spot ETF issuers (BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale) hold more Bitcoin than Tether.

The acquisition of 8,888 BTC coincided with other bullish on-chain activities from Tether. The company minted fresh $1 billion USDT on the Tron network, extending its impressive numbers on the blockchain. Tether's CEO, Paola Ardoino, confirmed the transaction, noting that it was an authorized but not issued USDT minting, serving as inventory for subsequent issuance requests. This move is part of Tether's strategy to maintain a robust supply of USDT to meet market demand.

Tether has minted $8 billion USDT on the Tron network since the start of 2025 and a staggering $22 billion USDT in the past year. The blockchain has a total authorized transaction of $66.7 billion, making it the second-largest network for USDT minting after the Ethereum network, which has $75.9 billion in authorized transactions. This strategic move by Tether to expand its Bitcoin holdings and maintain a strong USDT supply reflects its commitment to staying at the forefront of the cryptocurrency market.