Tether Buys 8,888 BTC in Q4 to Strengthen Reserves

Tether CEO reveals that the company purchased 8,888 BTC in Q4 2025, valued at approximately $770 million at current prices. This continues Tether's practice of using profits to buy BTC for reserves, primarily to enhance the credit backing of USDT.
The number 8,888 has cultural significance in Chinese tradition, but more importantly, it reflects Tether's business logic. As the largest stablecoin issuer with a market cap of $105 billion and annual profits exceeding $5 billion, mainly from U.S. Treasury yields, using part of the profits to buy BTC is both an investment and a diversification of reserves.
Market response has been muted; BTC prices have not fluctuated because this is not new. Tether has been quarterly purchasing BTC since 2023, with total holdings possibly exceeding 100,000 BTC, making it one of the top 20 BTC holders worldwide.
From a macro perspective, Tether's BTC purchases are a long-term positive for the market, akin to using seigniorage revenue to buy BTC, creating a positive cycle. The larger the USDT circulation, the more Tether earns, and the more BTC it buys. Rising BTC prices also attract more traders to use USDT.
The risk lies in regulation. The U.S. Treasury and SEC have been scrutinizing Tether. If forced to disclose full reserves or face sanctions, it could trigger a trust crisis in USDT. However, from 2024 to 2025, Tether has made good progress in compliance and is actively cooperating under the EU's MiCA framework.
For investors, Tether's continuous BTC purchases are an indicator of market confidence, showing that industry leaders are optimistic about long-term trends. At the same time, attention should be paid to Tether's transparency reports to ensure USDT has sufficient reserves to support it.