Breaking headline in Corriere di Torino today: A crypto mogul enters the football establishment. Giancarlo Devasini, former cosmetic surgeon and now one of the most influential names in the crypto world, has just secured a 5% stake in Juventus Turin – for nearly 47 million euros. This is not just any investment, but a statement.

Who is this man? Giancarlo Devasini is behind Tether, the stablecoin giant that has essentially shaped the crypto ecosystem. His company is based in El Salvador and has become the most widely used stablecoin platform in the world – with about 141 billion dollars in transaction volume and over 350 million users. That’s massive reach.

Devasini himself is 61 years old, with a net worth of over 9 billion euros, the fourth-richest man in Italy. His career in cryptocurrencies is impressive – specializing in dollar-pegged stablecoins that form the backbone of many DeFi transactions. An interesting fact: Tether is said to hold more U.S. Treasury bonds than some countries have in their reserves.

The company also attracts other big names. Howard Lutnick, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Trump, has pumped about 600 million dollars into Tether bonds. Recently, Tether also invested 775 million in Rumble, the social media platform.

What fascinates me about this? Giancarlo Devasini actually lives very discreetly – in Lugano, he rents a small three-room apartment for 1,400 euros a month, gives hardly any interviews, stays out of the spotlight. But now he symbolically returns to Turin, his hometown, with this massive Juventus move. It’s an interesting turn for a man who usually operates very privately. Crypto meets tradition – and it will be exciting to watch how this partnership develops.