BTC223: Tether's 13.7 Billion in Profits w/ Paolo Ardoino (Bitcoin Podcast)
Feb 26, 2025
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Paolo Ardoino, the Chief Technology Officer of Tether, dives into Tether’s stunning $13.7 billion profit, revealing insights from its operational strategies and a potential Wall Street stablecoin competition. He discusses Tether’s bold expansion into El Salvador and its innovative AI projects. The conversation touches on the implications of running on the Lightning Network for future transactions and the possibilities of tokenized equity in the UAE, all framed within Tether's vision for decentralization and financial accessibility.
Tether achieved a remarkable $13.7 billion in profits through efficient reserve management and backing its stablecoins with substantial over-collateralization.
The company's expansion into AI technologies underscores its commitment to decentralized data processing and financial inclusion for unbanked populations worldwide.
By issuing tokens on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, Tether aims to provide faster and cheaper transactions, enhancing its competitiveness in the evolving crypto payments landscape.
Deep dives
Tether's Impressive Financial Performance
Tether reported a remarkable profit of $13.7 billion for the past year, with a significant portion derived from coupon revenues and unrealized gains in Bitcoin and gold holdings. This efficiency in profit generation positions Tether as one of the most profitable firms in the financial sector, drawing comparisons to traditional banking institutions. The management of reserves and compliance adherence is critical for their operations, ensuring they maintain the ability to meet redemption requests promptly. This effective reserve management was highlighted when Tether successfully processed significant redemptions during a market crisis, showcasing their operational resilience.
Stablecoin's Lean Operational Structure
Tether's business model operates with a lean structure, emphasizing the importance of its reserve management and compliance teams. The company's unique over-collateralization, reportedly at 105%, offers substantial backing for its issued stablecoins, presenting Tether as a safer alternative in the competitive stablecoin market. With plans to maintain strong collateralization, the company assures users that even in dire market conditions, they are well-prepared to uphold their financial commitments. This approach also reflects Tether's strategy of reinvesting profits into sustaining and strengthening their stablecoin's resilience to inflation and volatility.
Global Distribution and Financial Inclusion
Tether aims to bridge financial gaps for unbanked populations around the world, promoting the adoption of USDT as a digital dollar. By building a vast physical and digital distribution network, Tether provides access to financial services in regions where traditional banking is unavailable or impractical. Their focus on catering to underserved communities positions USDT as a tool for financial inclusion, allowing individuals to safeguard their assets in USD. This strategy contrasts with domestic markets, where the abundance of existing payment methods makes Tether less immediately relevant.
Innovative Uses of AI and Local Resilience
Tether is exploring the integration of AI technologies alongside its financial services, emphasizing the use of localized AI processing. This strategy seeks to empower individuals by making data processing more self-sufficient and ensuring data sovereignty. The vision includes creating networks where AI agents can interact independently, fostering a decentralized environment that directs control back to users. Rather than relying on centralized companies, Tether aims to build technologically resilient solutions that endure regardless of corporate existence, encouraging an open-source approach to AI.
Advancements on the Bitcoin Lightning Network
Tether is planning to enhance its operations by issuing tokens on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, aiming to create faster and cheaper transactions for users. This strategic move intends to stimulate further adoption and capitalize on the advantages of the Lightning Network, particularly its scalability for high-frequency payments. As the demand for machine-to-machine payment systems increases, utilizing a robust framework like the Lightning Network could position Tether at the forefront of the evolving crypto payments landscape. The company acknowledges the competitive environment but believes its established infrastructure and ongoing innovations will keep it ahead.
In this episode, Preston and Paolo discuss Tether’s massive $13.7 billion profit, its growing strategic importance, and whether Wall Street banks will enter the stablecoin space.
They also explore Tether’s expansion into AI, real estate, and Brain-Computer Interfaces, alongside its big move to El Salvador. They also discuss what running Tether on Lightning means for payments and the future of tokenized assets in the UAE.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00 - Intro
03:05 - How Tether achieved $13.7 billion in profits last year.
07:14 - Why Wall Street banks might try to compete in the stablecoin space.
13:11 - The impact of running Tether on the Lightning Network via TAP.
20:07 - Challenges and opportunities in Lightning Network routing.
22:04 - The future of tokenized equity in the UAE and global accessibility.
30:18 - Tether’s massive move to El Salvador and its 70-story building project.
33:32 - How Tether is expanding into AI with DeepSeek and open-source solutions.
35:11 - The role of Reelly Tech in real estate transactions.
41:25 - Why Tether invested $200M in Blackrock Neurotech and its AI SDK strategy.
47:15 - How all these moves fit into Tether’s long-term vision.
Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
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