Tether’s CEO Paolo Ardoino recently unveiled significant developments for the company, revealing both an increase in Bitcoin and gold reserves for its USDT stablecoin and ambitious plans to expand into AI technology. These moves come at a time of growing interest in Tether’s reserve strategies and tech innovation, positioning the company at the forefront of the cryptocurrency and AI landscapes.
During the recent Lugano Plan B event, Tether’s substantial holdings in Bitcoin and gold were detailed, with UQUID CEO Tran Hung sharing figures from Ardoino’s presentation. Tether now holds 82,454 BTC and 42.3 tons of gold, which Ardoino later confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter). According to Ardoino, Tether’s reserves include around $100 billion in US treasuries, along with these notable Bitcoin and gold assets. This level of diversification reflects Tether’s approach to maintaining USDT’s stability and adds depth to the company’s reserve strategy. In Tether’s second-quarter attestation report, Ardoino noted that the firm held around 80,000 BTC, marking a noticeable increase in holdings in recent months. Bitinfo’s charts have shown a Bitcoin balance of 75,354 BTC in Tether’s publicly available wallet, aligning closely with these recent figures.
Tether has shown a steady increase in Bitcoin holdings over the past year, driven by a diversification strategy involving quarterly purchases. Tether’s approach extends beyond Bitcoin and gold, encompassing various assets such as cash equivalents and short-term deposits. This diversification strategy helps safeguard the stability of USDT, a prominent player in the stablecoin market.
In addition to bolstering its reserves, Tether is also making strides in AI, with Ardoino announcing plans for an AI software development kit (SDK) designed to support local, privacy-focused applications. This AI SDK represents a significant step for Tether as it embraces cutting-edge technology to complement its financial services. The SDK is designed for flexibility, allowing developers to deploy code across a wide range of devices, from budget smartphones to high-end mainframes and smart home systems.
Tether’s AI SDK is modular, supporting a variety of AI models, including Marian and Llama, which enable diverse applications across industries. The SDK employs peer-to-peer (P2P) structures to securely store weights and fine-tuning data, a measure that emphasizes both privacy and decentralization. By using P2P methods, Tether aims to ensure data security and empower developers to build robust, privacy-respecting applications. Ardoino mentioned that Tether intends to make the SDK open-source after final testing, which will allow broader access to this technology and facilitate community-driven innovation.
This AI initiative is part of Tether’s larger strategy to leverage AI technology in ways that extend beyond traditional finance. Tether’s new AI division is focused on developing open-source, multimodal AI models that have the potential to reshape industry standards. The division is actively working to create advanced AI models and explore partnerships that can integrate AI-driven solutions into commercial products, adding further dimensions to Tether’s capabilities.
In addition to enhancing Tether’s existing offerings, these models are expected to advance the scope of open AI technology. By opening up access to these models, Tether aims to foster collaboration and encourage developers to explore creative applications of AI. This approach aligns with Tether’s vision of building a secure, privacy-focused AI framework that can be deployed across a wide range of devices.
These recent disclosures underline Tether’s commitment to remaining at the forefront of both cryptocurrency and AI technology. As Tether continues to expand its reserve assets and explore new technological frontiers, the company is well-positioned to influence the future of digital finance and AI-driven innovation.
