According to CEO Paolo Ardoino, Tether started 2026 by adding 8,888.88 BTC to its treasury wallet as part of its 2025 Q4 profit distribution.
Tether acquired 8,888.8888888 BTC in Q4 2025. https://t.co/vMh1uzv1wO
— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) December 31, 2025
The transfer, worth about $780 million at current prices, strengthens a strategy that quietly makes the world’s largest stablecoin issuer one of Bitcoin’s biggest corporate holders.
The acquisition is in line with the policy introduced in 2023 to allocate up to 15% of Tether’s realized quarterly operating profits to Bitcoin purchases, effectively turning the company into a systematic accumulator rather than an opportunistic buyer.
These accumulations are significant because Tether’s profits are directly tied to the cash-like assets backing USDT, primarily short-term U.S. Treasuries and repos. This means that rising interest rates and strong demand for stablecoins could lead to increased operating profits and, in turn, increased Bitcoin purchases.
Unlike corporate buyers who raise capital specifically to purchase BTC, Tether’s approach is more of an internal financial strategy.
The company has kept the assets backing its stablecoin debt untouched, using excess proceeds to diversify its reserves while continuing to maintain the bulk of its backing in highly liquid instruments.
Timing is also important. Bitcoin is struggling to sustain gains through the end of the year due to thin liquidity and uneven risk appetite across the venue.
BTC was trading at around $89,000 by noon Hong Kong time.
