Tether, the issuer of the widely-used USDT stablecoin, has announced plans to commence regular purchases of Bitcoin, allocating up to 15% of its net realized operating profits towards investing in the world’s leading cryptocurrency. Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CTO, cited Bitcoin’s resilience and growth potential as the primary reasons for the company’s decision.
Although Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and limited supply have led to its increasing popularity among institutional and retail investors alike, skeptics argue that Tether and other stablecoin issuers might not provide sufficient transparency about the underlying assets backing their tokens. Some critics have also raised questions about Tether’s reserves, which the company claims to be at an all-time high.
In response to these concerns, Ardoino explained that Tether currently holds approximately $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin in its reserves, as indicated in a recently-released assurance report. Moreover, he revealed that the company maintains $2.5 billion in excess reserves, generated through investments in U.S. Treasury bills, gold, and other assets, for the purpose of providing additional protection to the stablecoin’s user base.
Emphasizing the importance of maintaining ample reserves for Tether, Ardoino reasoned that “while banks can do fractional reserve, we believe that’s not a viable strategy for a stablecoin.” However, detractors such as John Reed Stark, a former Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement attorney, argue that Tether’s claims surrounding its reserves are unconvincing and that the company’s regular unaudited attestations are “meaningless.”
Adding to the skepticism surrounding Tether, a Wall Street Journal report published in March alleged that the companies backing the USDT stablecoin used fake documents and shell companies, which Tether refuted as “wholly inaccurate and misleading.”
Despite these controversies, Tether has experienced remarkable growth, with net profits reaching $1.48 billion in the first quarter of 2021. The company’s commitment to investing a portion of its profits in Bitcoin showcases its confidence in the cryptocurrency’s long-term prospects.
While Tether’s decision to invest in Bitcoin is seen as a bullish signal by some, the level of transparency surrounding its reserves remains a significant concern for others. As the debate around Tether’s reserve claims and transparency continues, the adoption of Bitcoin by major players in the financial industry is unlikely to abate, further cementing its position as a long-term store of value and an attractive investment alternative.
Source: Decrypt
