Tether Targets 10–15% Gold Allocation in Portfolio – January 2026

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the stablecoin issuer plans to allocate 10%–15% of its corporate investment portfolio to physical gold, adding to a growing bullion position. He disclosed the plan in a Reuters video interview published on Jan. 28, 2026, as gold trades at record highs and Tether continues to diversify how it invests profits.​

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Context

Tether’s plan focuses on its own investment portfolio rather than the reserves backing USDT, according to Ardoino’s comments to Reuters.​

The move lands as gold demand has been driven by a mix of central-bank buying and investor inflows, with Tether increasingly cited as a visible marginal buyer in the physical market.​

Tether has expanded beyond cash and short-term government debt in recent years, which keeps attention on how stablecoin issuers balance yield, liquidity, and perception of safety.​

Details

Ardoino told Reuters: “For our own portfolio, it’s reasonable that we are going to have around 10% in bitcoin and 10% to 15% in gold.” (Paolo Ardoino, CEO, Tether, Jan. 28, 2026, Reuters)​

He also said: “It’s hard to decide which one I like the most. It is almost like you have two children and have to decide which one is more beautiful.” (Paolo Ardoino, CEO, Tether, Jan. 28, 2026, Reuters)​

The gold push builds on recent accumulation: Reuters reported on Jan. 26, 2026 that Tether bought 27 metric tons of gold in Q4 2025, lifting its holdings to roughly 130 metric tons.​

Ardoino told Reuters the firm has been buying about one to two tons of gold per week and plans to reassess demand quarterly rather than commit to a single fixed target.​

Bloomberg separately reported that Tether stores gold in Switzerland in a high-security facility described as a former nuclear bunker, reflecting a preference for directly held physical metal.​

Impact

For gold, a steady one-to-two-tons-per-week program from a single buyer can matter at the margin, especially when broader flows already lean bullish.

For crypto markets, the announcement reads as largely neutral because it does not change USDT’s stated 1:1 peg mechanics, and the allocation is framed as a corporate portfolio decision rather than a change in reserve policy.​

That said, market and regulatory scrutiny often follows any shift toward “riskier” reserve components, especially when stablecoin disclosures feel incomplete to outside observers.​

S&P Global Ratings downgraded its stablecoin assessment of USDT to “5 (weak)” on Nov. 26, 2025, citing an increase in higher-risk assets in reserves and continued disclosure gaps.​

Next Steps

The next milestones are updates in Tether’s public reporting and continued signals about pace: Reuters has already documented the Q4 buying surge and Ardoino’s ongoing weekly purchase cadence.

Bloomberg’s reporting suggests Tether is also building deeper operational capability in bullion markets, which could support continued deliveries and more active portfolio management around physical gold.​

An external reality check will come from the broader gold market itself: World Gold Council strategist John Reade said Tether’s purchases have influenced the rally, but are not the main driver. “They have been a component of the rally, but not all by any means,” he said.

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P.S. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always conduct your own research and make independent decisions.