Tether is not a stablecoin company
Hey, itโs Marc,
Most people still think of Tether as "just a stablecoin company". They're wrong.
Tether.io just dropped two bombshells:
- Tether Power: Theyโll ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป-๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐ฆ (MOS)
- Plasma: Raised $๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ for a new ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ญ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐, backed by Peter Thiel
These aren't separate moves.
To understand what Tetherโs doing, look at what theyโre trying to control.
1. Mining
Tether has aggressively expanded into Bitcoin mining over the past year. And it wants to become the world's biggest by the end of 2025.
Whatโs happening: While Bitcoin miners are moving from mining to AI data centres, Tether is going all in with a different strategy.
They've already invested $2B in mining & energy infrastructure.
Tether also holds over ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐.
Mining is a ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ on that position.
BUT: 75% of Bitcoinโs hashrate is controlled by the U.S.
95% of blocks come from just 6 large mining pools.
Thatโs not decentralisation.
Thatโs a chokepoint.
This is why Tether built MOS (Bitcoin Mining Operating System) - a peer-to-peer, plug-and-play mining OS โ so ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ can mine, from solar-powered farms to industrial sites.
And theyโre open-sourcing it.
Why?
This is ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐บ.
Itโs a hedge on the hedge.
โWe invested 2B in energy production, and Bitcoin mining actually is a bit more than that. Something that we have been very shy to say, but I think that itโs very realistic that by the end of the year, Tether will be the biggest Bitcoin miner in the world, even including all the public companies.โ
โ Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether
Stepping back: In 2024, it dropped $500M to build and buy into mining sites across Uruguay, Paraguay, and El Salvador. The goal was to control 1% of global Bitcoin mining power by 2025.
Why it matters: Tetherโs deep pockets let it expand when others are broke. Itโs not just a stablecoin company anymore โ itโs betting big on Bitcoinโs infrastructure.
As deep-pocketed players like Tether and American Bitcoin build out large-scale mining operations, they help dilute the dominance of existing pools.
More players = higher hash rate = stronger network security.
Whatโs next: MOS will be released as open-source by Q4 2025.
2. Stablecoin Infrastructure
Tether's new layer 1 for stablecoins (Plasma) isnโt trying to be just another L1.
It's anchored to Bitcoin and EVM-compatible.
And itโs aiming to be the settlement layer for digital dollars.
Zooming in: In early 2024, Tether backed Plasma. It is a Bitcoin-based sidechain built specifically for stablecoins. Fully EVM-compatible and optimized for high throughput. It removes everything stablecoins donโt need โ no NFTs, no memecoins, no staking. Just fast, zero-fee USDT transfers.
Why it matters: With over $155B in circulation, USDT dominates the stablecoin industry. By anchoring USDT to a purpose-built chain like Plasma, Tether is:
- Reducing reliance on congested or expensive chains (like Ethereum).
- Improving user experience with instant, feeless transfers.
- Expanding Bitcoinโs utility beyond โdigital goldโ โ making it the trust layer for stablecoin transactions.
In short: USDT is the liquidity king. Plasma could be its custom-built empire.
Tetherโs other initiatives
1. AI & Computing
Tether is quietly building an AI + crypto ecosystem.
In 2024, Tether launched an AI division to develop open-source models and infrastructure. Now, itโs rolling out tools to connect AI apps with Bitcoin and USDT payments โ all without the cloud.
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Key pieces in play:
- Wallet Dev Kit (WDK): Enables self-custody and peer-to-peer USDT/BTC payments (Check out)
- Tether AI Runtime: A decentralised, open-source platform for running AI apps on any device (Read more)
- Tether Data: A suite of AI applications including an AI translator, voice assistant, and Bitcoin wallet assistant (See more)
- QVAC: A platform for enabling AI agents and applications โ scalable, modular, and fully peer-to-peer (Read more)
All tools are built for local execution, preserving privacy and reducing reliance on Big Tech infrastructure.
Why it matters: Tether isnโt just investing in AI โ itโs merging it with money. By embedding payments directly into AI apps, itโs creating a new rail of decentralised, intelligent services powered by Bitcoin and USDT.
2. Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure
In 2024 and 2025, Tether signed MoUs with the governments of Uzbekistan and Guinea to help build decentralised communication networks and local blockchain ecosystems.
The focus:
- Peer-to-peer telecom infrastructure
- Stablecoin adoption (USDโฎ)
- โInnovation Citiesโ and blockchain education to boost digital literacy
- Economic resilience through decentralisation
It is also supporting Holepunch and the Keet app โ a fully encrypted, P2P messaging platform.
3. Renewable Energy and Sustainability Projects
Tetherโs Bitcoin mining sites in Uruguay and El Salvador are powered by wind, solar, hydro, and soon, geothermal. But the bigger story is what comes next.
In April 2025, Tether acquired 70% of Adecoagro, a NYSE-listed agribusiness in South America focused on bioenergy and sustainable agriculture. This followed a $100M investment in late 2024 to scale green production.
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Strategic Investments, Acquisitions, and Ventures
Tetherโs investing like a tech holding company โ not just a stablecoin issuer. Backed by $13โ14B in 2024 profits, Tether is pouring capital into high-leverage bets across tech and infrastructure:
- $775M into Rumble to expand into video + alt media (RELEASE)
- $200M to acquire Blackrock Neurotech, a U.S. brain-computer startup (NEWS)
- Northern Data Group (AI/cloud infra) โ aiming to lead Europeโs AI stack (More)
- Shiga Digital + Orionx to grow USDT payments in Africa + LatAm (RELEASE)
- Fizen + Kem App to embed USDT into Middle East remittances and QR wallets (More)
- Juventus FC โ 10% stake, pairing tech with sports influence (RELEASE)
- Co-founded Twenty One Capital, a Bitcoin-native public company backed by SoftBank (RELEASE)
Think: Visa + Fedwire + Swift if they were one protocol.
Tether isnโt just the issuer anymore.
Itโs building the rails themselves: data, compute, communication, and payments.
And it gives Tether full control.
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐?
1+1=3
Tetherโs strategy is simple:
- ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ (mining)
- ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป (Plasma)
- ๐ข๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ from asset to infrastructure
- ๐ข๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ (Qvac)
Tether isnโt just issuing dollars on-chain.
Itโs quietly building the monetary operating system of the Internet.
This is a full-stack crypto-fintech empire in motion.
Thatโs all for today.
Best,
Marc & Team