Tether CEO says company now holds approximately 150,000 Bitcoin

During the Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano on November 3, 2026, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino announced that the stablecoin issuer holds approximately 150,000 Bitcoin valued at over $11.5 billion. The total exceeds the 100,060 BTC explicitly detailed in Tether's Q3 reserve report, as proprietary investments funded by profits sit outside USDT backing reserves. Tether reported $191.45 billion in total backing assets, $132.4 billion in Treasury bill exposure, and $7.95 billion in excess reserves alongside global expansion initiatives.

November 2026 Bitcoin holding announcement

• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino did not provide a detailed breakdown, wallet location, or acquisition schedule for the company's estimated 150,000 Bitcoin holdings during his November 3, 2026 presentation
• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino announced at the Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano on November 3, 2026, that Tether holds approximately 150,000 Bitcoin worth over $11.5 billion

Third-quarter 2026 reserve asset breakdown

• ▪Tether's third-quarter 2026 reserve report separately listed $19.08 billion in gold and $14.18 billion in secured loans within its backing assets
• ▪Tether held approximately $132.4 billion in direct and indirect U.S. Treasury bill exposure as of September 30, 2026, including $122.84 billion in directly held Treasury bills and $9.52 billion in overnight reverse repurchase agreements
• ▪Tether's Q3 2026 attestation reported total reserve assets of $191.45 billion against total liabilities of approximately $183.50 billion as of September 30, 2026
• ▪Tether's Q3 2026 attestation report prepared by accounting firm BDO listed $8.37 billion in Bitcoin reserves as of September 30, 2026, implying roughly 100,060 BTC held within USDT backing assets

Third-quarter 2026 profits and excess reserves

• ▪Tether reported excess reserves of $7.95 billion at the end of September 2026, an increase from $4.1 billion at the end of June 2026
• ▪Tether generated $1.5 billion in net operating profit during the third quarter of 2026, bringing its nine-month profit total to $4.5 billion

Bitcoin investment policy and reserve management

• ▪Tether purchased 8,888 BTC valued at approximately $780 million
• ▪Tether keeps its proprietary investments funded from excess profits separate from the reserves backing its USDT stablecoin
• ▪In May 2023, Tether introduced a policy to regularly allocate up to 15% of its quarterly net realized operating profits to purchasing Bitcoin to hold in self-custody

Global user adoption and growth

• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated during the Plan ₿ Forum on November 3, 2026, that Tether serves over 730 million users globally
• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said Tether expands its global footprint by adding approximately 30 million new digital wallets every quarter

Decentralized technology and infrastructure projects

• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said Tether supports approximately 5,000 solar-powered battery kiosks in Africa serving two million users, with plans to expand to 100,000 kiosks over five years
• ▪In October 2026, Tether secured support from 15 mining companies and manufacturers—including Bitmain, Bitdeer, Canaan, MicroBT, Foundry Digital, and F2Pool—for its open-source Mining Development Kit
• ▪Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino introduced the Independence Stack initiative, covering decentralized technology projects spanning energy, Bitcoin mining, communications, self-custody wallets, and artificial intelligence