Tether Quietly Adds 8,888 BTC as Its Bitcoin Stash Taps 96,369 Coins

Tether purchased 8,888 BTC (~$780M) on Dec. 31, bringing its disclosed Bitcoin holdings above 96,000 and placing its address among the five largest BTC wallets. The buy continues Tether’s pattern of quarterly BTC accumulations—allocating up to 15% of earnings into Bitcoin—and accompanies large corporate gold purchases. S&P recently downgraded USDT’s rating over transparency and concentration; Tether denied selling BTC and said some holdings were contributed to Twenty One Capital (which held 43,514 BTC). The move is part of a broader corporate Bitcoin accumulation trend.
AI Analysis
Facts: Tether purchased 8,888 BTC (~$780M) and now reports >96,000 BTC, making its address a top‑5 holder; Tether follows a quarterly accumulation policy (up to 15% of earnings into BTC); S&P downgraded USDT over transparency and concentration concerns; Tether said it did not sell BTC and that some holdings were contributed to Twenty One Capital (43,514 BTC). These concrete purchases and disclosed holdings can tighten available supply and signal ongoing corporate demand.