- Tether has minted $ 1 billion in USDT for inventory restocking or replacements.
- The minted tokens are not yet in circulation, but they will be available to meet future demand.
- Tether has gained 400 million active users surpassing the United States population.
Tether, the issuer of the largest stablecoin by market capitalization, recently minted $1 billion worth of USDT tokens. According to CEO Paolo Ardoino, this move is part of an inventory replenishment process on the Tron network.
While the minted tokens remain valid, they have not yet been circulated in the market. They are expected to be used to meet possible demand in the near future but are not being immediately deployed.
This billion-dollar minting event is not an exception. According to the Whale Alert data, Tether also performed two more minting operations in March. In two separate instances, it also minted USDT tokens worth $1 billion on March 19 and another date in the same month. These minting activities indicate that Tether is set to meet the growing demand for USDT over the various chains, most notably the Tron ecosystem.
Tether’s User Base Surges to 400 Million
Tether has received remarkable growth from users, with the overall number of users increasing by 14% in the last five months. Currently, Tether has over 400M users crossing above the entire population of the United States of America.
In October 2024 it reached 350 million. In his tweet, Ardoino pointed to the increasing adoption, citing the fact that the Tether business model has taken a grassroots approach. This fast growth makes Tether stand out from other stablecoins and firmly establishes it as the largest stablecoin with 144.1 billion in market capitalization.
This contrasts with traditional financial growth in regard to Tether’s user base as more companies and governments introduce their stablecoins. Ardoino envisions a “stablecoin multiverse,” which might lead to increased competition in the future.
Tether’s main competitor, Circle, is also keen on increasing its operations in Asia as the demand for stablecoins is expected to rise in the continent. However, despite these efforts, Circle’s USDC is still far behind Tether’s USDT in market cap.
Tether Expands Its Portfolio Beyond Stablecoins
Tether has been active in stablecoins and has expanded its business in other areas. The company recently bought a 30% stake in Be Water, a Rome-based broadcast media firm.
This can be seen as Tether’s attempt to diversify its portfolio apart from being primarily a company dealing with $144.1 billion worth of stablecoins based on its claim. Although it is still unknown to what extent and under what terms this acquisition was made, it aligns with Tether’s developments and investment activities.
