Tether $150M Deal With Gold.com: Stablecoin Giant Wants to Own the Supply Chain

Core Insights - Tether is expanding its gold exposure by investing $150 million into Gold.com, acquiring approximately 12% of the company and a board seat, indicating a strategic shift towards hard assets [1][2] - The investment is backed by Tether's strong financial position, reporting over $10 billion in annual profits, and aims to connect digital liquidity with the physical bullion market amid rising gold prices and inflation [2][7] Investment Strategy - Tether's acquisition of over 3.3 million shares in Gold.com is part of a strategy to create a vertically integrated ecosystem that combines digital assets with physical gold [3][4] - The move is designed to ensure that Tether's tokenized products, such as Tether Gold (XAUT), have a solid physical foundation, enhancing trust in Real World Asset (RWA) products [4] Financial Arrangements - As part of the investment, Gold.com will reinvest $20 million into XAUT, enhancing market depth and providing a significant on-ramp for the token through its retail platform [5] - Tether will also provide a gold leasing facility of at least $100 million to Gold.com, facilitating operations in the precious metals market and creating a yield-bearing instrument backed by physical gold [6] Market Position - Tether's market cap for USDT reached $187.3 billion in Q4, with an increase of $12.4 billion in just three months, showcasing its financial strength and ability to pivot into gold investments [7]