Erik Voorhees, the early Bitcoin advocate and founder of ShapeShift, is making a bold pivot into gold. The move comes as gold recovers following a 21% crash, with prospects for further gains if analyst projections are any guide. Erik Voorhees’ Gold Move Signals a Shift Beyond Bitcoin Lookonchain reports that Voorhees created nine new wallets and spent $6.81 million in USDC. The Bitcoin OG purchased 1,382 ounces of PAXG, a gold-backed token just like Tether Gold, at an average price of $4,926 per ounce. ...

Tether gold Stablecoin issuer Tether is deepening its exposure to gold with a $150 million investment in Gold.com, Inc. (NYSE: GOLD), according to an announcement on Thursday. Tether has agreed to initially purchase approximately $125 million worth of GOLD common shares and an additional $25 million upon regulatory approval, the firm said. The stablecoin issuer will be allowed to nominate a Gold.com board member. "The Investment establishes a strategic partnership designed to bridge physical precious meta ...

Core Insights - Tether is expanding USDT and Tether Gold support within Opera's MiniPay wallet, enhancing financial inclusion in emerging markets [1][6] - USDT has a market capitalization exceeding $186 billion, making it the most widely used digital dollar globally [2] - MiniPay has over 12.6 million activated wallets and has seen significant user growth, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia [3][4] User Engagement and Growth - MiniPay recorded a 50% growth in on-chain users in Q4 2025, with 7 million phone-verified USDT wallets and 300,000 unique buyers in December, a 33% increase month-over-month [3][4] - Celo, the blockchain supporting MiniPay, experienced a user growth of 506% over the last year, increasing from 825,000 to 5 million users [4] - In December 2025, MiniPay users initiated over 96 million USDT in transfers and conducted more than 3.5 million peer-to-peer payments [4] Financial Transactions and Local Integration - Users added over $49 million in cash to MiniPay wallets through local partners, facilitating direct connections to Tether's liquidity network [5] - More than $153 million was sent or received through MiniPay in December, indicating a rising demand for stable, dollar-based payments in mobile-first regions [5] Product Features and Market Position - MiniPay supports Tether Gold (XAU0), providing an inflation-resistant savings option as gold prices rose nearly 50% in 2025 [6] - Tether Gold serves as a transparent bridge between traditional value stores and the digital economy [7] - Tether's commitment to transparency and accessibility is aimed at expanding the real-world use of stablecoins [8]

Core Insights - Tether's USDT has a market capitalization of $187 billion, surpassing all its stablecoin competitors combined, and is growing rapidly with 536 million users, increasing by 30 million per quarter [2][3] - Tether has launched USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin, to comply with new federal regulations and compete with Circle's USDC, marking a significant shift towards mainstream acceptance [4][3] - Tether's CEO emphasizes the company's role in financial inclusion, particularly in countries with weak currencies, and claims that Tether has collaborated with nearly 300 law enforcement agencies globally [5][7] Market Position and Competition - Tether's USDT is positioned as a digital dollar that operates independently of traditional banking institutions, making it a preferred choice for users in countries with unstable currencies [2][11] - The stablecoin market is becoming increasingly competitive, with major financial institutions like Fidelity, JPMorgan Chase, and PayPal launching their own dollar-pegged tokens [1][4] - Tether has demonstrated resilience during market crises, successfully redeeming $20 billion in 20 days during the TerraLuna collapse, showcasing its stability compared to traditional banks [9][10] Regulatory Landscape - Tether's recent initiatives, including the launch of USAT, are aimed at aligning with U.S. regulatory requirements, which have historically posed challenges for the company [4][3] - The CLARITY Act, currently in Congress, could impact Tether's business model by prohibiting stablecoin issuers from paying interest to holders, which may solidify Tether's existing practices while affecting competitors [11][12] Future Ambitions - Tether is expanding its product offerings beyond stablecoins, including Tether Gold, which has a circulation of $2.6 billion and positions the company as a significant private gold holder [12][13] - The company is also venturing into AI with the launch of Qvac, a decentralized AI platform aimed at providing access to underserved populations, reflecting Tether's broader strategy of financial inclusion [13][14] - Tether's investments in various sectors, including agriculture and technology, are part of a strategy to create a stable ecosystem that supports its core mission of financial stability for its users [15][16]

Group 1 - Gold has regained popularity as an investment, with significant growth in recent years, particularly through online purchasing methods like tokenized gold and stablecoins [1][3] - Stablecoins are digital tokens backed by a currency or commodity, designed to minimize volatility, and they represent digital ownership of physical assets [2] - Tokenized gold trading is projected to reach $178 billion by 2025, surpassing all U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) except for SPDR Gold Shares, which has $165 billion in assets under management [4] Group 2 - The rise in gold prices is attributed to geopolitical tensions, inflation, and increasing U.S. debt, prompting investors to seek gold as a safe haven [5][6] - U.S. debt has exceeded $38 trillion, with a fiscal deficit of nearly $1.8 trillion reported for fiscal year 2025, raising concerns about the U.S. fiscal situation [6] - Central banks globally are reducing their purchases of U.S. Treasuries, indicating a potential loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency [7]

Tether, the company behind the largest stablecoin by market cap, is amassing a huge pile of gold bullion in a former Swiss nuclear bunker. The “James Bond kind of place,” as its CEO, Paolo Ardoino, described the storage facility to Bloomberg, houses a gold collection of more than 140 tons. With gold’s ongoing rally, that’s about $24 billion worth. The crypto company bought at least 70 tons of gold last year, Bloomberg calculated, or more than was reported by any central bank besides Poland’s. Now, Ardoin ...

Group 1 - South Korean investors are increasingly purchasing gold-pegged stablecoins to avoid high tax liabilities associated with physical gold trading [1][5] - Crypto trading in South Korea is currently not taxed, while physical gold incurs a 10% value-added tax and a 22% capital gains tax when traded on the Korea Exchange [1][2] - Gold-backed coins, such as Tether Gold and PAX Gold, are gaining popularity as they are pegged to the value of physical gold, with one token typically representing a troy ounce or a gram of gold [3][6] Group 2 - Global trends show investors shifting from higher-risk financial products to traditional safe havens like gold, influenced by recent tariff threats affecting crypto trading [4] - Analysts suggest that gold-backed coins provide a short-term investment advantage due to favorable tax regulations in South Korea [5] - Interest in gold-related cryptoassets is rising significantly, with Tether Gold trading accounting for over 0.6% of the 24-hour trading volume on Upbit, amounting to over $9 million [6]

Group 1 - Economist Peter Schiff prefers a gold-backed cryptocurrency over Bitcoin during crises, particularly in contexts like Iran's currency crisis [2][4] - Schiff emphasizes that Bitcoin is not backed by any tangible asset, while he advocates for tokenized gold as a more reliable option [2][3] - The Iranian Rial's devaluation has led to increased interest in cryptocurrencies as a hedge, with Bitcoin being one of the options [4] Group 2 - Bitcoin's performance has been underwhelming, with a decline of 4.17% over the past year, while precious metals-backed cryptocurrencies like Tether Gold and PAX Gold have seen significant gains of over 70% [7][8] - Tether Gold is currently priced at $4,591, reflecting its strong performance compared to Bitcoin's price of $95,430.78 [8]

Core Insights - In decentralized finance (DeFi), traders previously lacked options during market downturns, primarily relying on stablecoins for liquidity [1] - The recent sell-off in the crypto market on October 10, 2025, resulted in $19 billion in long positions being liquidated, yet stablecoins only saw a modest 2% increase in market cap to over $303 billion [2] - The on-chain commodities sector, particularly tokenized gold, has shown significant growth, with a 27% increase in October alone, contrasting with the overall crypto market decline [3] Market Trends - The on-chain gold sector's market capitalization rose from $2.4 billion to over $2.6 billion between October 9 and October 13, 2025, and has increased from $1 billion at the start of the year to over $3 billion [4] - Gold prices have surged dramatically, from $2,624.49 per troy ounce on January 1 to $4,065.81 on November 18, driven by global political instability and a weakening U.S. dollar [5] - DeFi investors, typically known for higher risk tolerance, are increasingly investing in gold, which is stabilizing the market amid the broader crypto downturn [6]

Core Insights - Diversifying a tech-heavy portfolio with cryptocurrency requires caution due to the historical positive correlation between cryptocurrencies and the tech market [1] Group 1: Bitcoin - Bitcoin is favored by hedge fund managers and institutional investors, often trading independently of tech stocks, earning it the title "digital gold" [3][4] - A study from WisdomTree indicates that Bitcoin's correlation with the stock market has remained between 0.2 and -0.1 from 2012 to 2023, highlighting its unique value as it can move independently of other assets [4] Group 2: Gold Stablecoins - Gold stablecoins, such as Pax Gold and Tether Gold, are pegged to the price of gold and have market caps exceeding $1.6 billion, making them a strong hedge against stock market declines [5][6] - In 2025, gold prices increased by nearly 70%, and gold stablecoins followed this trend, becoming top-performing cryptocurrencies [6] Group 3: Small Niche Altcoins - Small niche altcoins, particularly privacy coins, may experience significant value increases independent of tech stock performance, driven by tech upgrades and new product features [9]