Tether Now Fifth-Largest Bitcoin Holder After $876M Buying Spree

Group 1: Tether's Bitcoin Holdings and Acquisitions - Tether acquired 8,888 bitcoin in Q4 2025, increasing total holdings to 96,185 BTC valued at $8.42 billion, making it the fifth-largest bitcoin wallet globally [1] - The average acquisition price for Tether's bitcoin holdings is approximately $51,117, resulting in an unrealized profit of $3.524 billion at current valuations around $88,700 per coin [2] - Tether's bitcoin buying program, initiated in May 2023, commits 15% of quarterly profits to reserve purchases, typically executed at the end of each quarter or the beginning of the next [6] Group 2: Institutional Investments in Bitcoin - Goldman Sachs disclosed purchasing $1.7 billion worth of bitcoin ETFs, while Strategy added 1,229 BTC for $108.8 million, bringing its total treasury to 672,497 bitcoin valued at $50.44 billion [3] - Japanese investment firm Metaplanet added 4,279 BTC on December 30, increasing total holdings to 35,102 BTC [5] - Bitcoin trading volume surged 185% to $44.6 billion towards the end of 2025, despite prices being approximately 30% below the October all-time high of $126,080 [5] Group 3: Strategic Developments and Market Position - Strategy funded its latest bitcoin acquisition entirely through stock sales under its at-the-market offering program, generating proceeds equal to the bitcoin deployment without issuing preferred shares [4] - Tether's USDT circulation surpassed $183 billion, indicating a strong market presence [6] - Tether led an $8 million investment in Speed1 to develop Lightning Network payment infrastructure and supported crypto lender Ledn as the Bitcoin-backed lending market rebounds toward $60 billion by 2033 [7]