In a bold declaration that underscores the tightening bond between digital assets and traditional finance, Tether’s U.S. CEO, Bo Hines, announced Wednesday that the stablecoin issuer is on track to become one of the top 10 buyers of U.S. Treasury bills globally this year.
Speaking at the Bitcoin Investor Conference in Manhattan, the former Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets at the Trump White House, detailed a massive expansion in the company’s reserve strategy. The shift is being driven by explosive growth in Tether’s flagship USDT token and the recent launch of USAT, a federally regulated stablecoin designed to comply with the landmark GENIUS Act.
Tether Goal to Emerge as Leading U.S. Treasury Holder
Tether’s current financial standing has already moved beyond that of a typical private company, increasingly resembling that of mid-sized nations and central banks. According to the firm’s latest attestation, Tether holds more than $122 in U.S. T-bills, representing roughly 83.1% of its total reserves.
“We are currently among the top 20 holders of Treasuries worldwide, including all sovereign states,” Hines told the audience. “If you look at the U.S. Treasury’s own rankings, Tether sits firmly between Germany and Saudi Arabia. Our goal this year is to break into that top 10 list.“
The catalyst for this aggressive buying spree is the GENIUS Act, a federal legislation that Hines himself helped shepherd during his tenure in Washington. The Act mandates that regulated stablecoins maintain 1:1 backing with highly liquid, high-quality assets.
To meet these standards, Tether launched USAT last month in partnership with Anchorage Digital Bank – the first federally chartered crypto bank. While the global USDT supply continues to serve hundreds of millions of users in emerging markets, USAT is purpose-built for the American market. Hines noted that the company is actively “adjusting reserve assets to align with the GENIUS framework,” which essentially requires a continuous pipeline of Treasury purchases.
Tether Now Holds More Gold Than South Korea, Singapore, Qatar, UAE, and Australia
While the focus remains on the dollar, Tether has also quietly become a titan in the commodities market. Hines revealed that the company now holds 140 tons of physical gold, valued at approximately $24 billion. Stored in high-security former nuclear bunkers in Switzerland, this stockpile makes Tether the 13th-largest holder of the precious metal in the world — surpassing the official reserves of countries such as South Korea, Singapore, UAE, Qatar, and Australia.
“We believe in the enduring power of the dollar, but we also believe in resilience,” Hines said. He noted that Tether is currently purchasing between one and two tons of gold per week to diversify its $6.3 billion in excess reserves.
Tether’s ascent to a top-10 Treasury buyer presents a complex narrative for Washington. While regulators have historically been wary of stablecoins, the sheer volume of U.S. debt Tether absorbs has made it a vital, albeit unconventional, pillar of support for the greenback.
As USDT continues to add roughly 30 million new users every quarter, its demand for U.S. government debt shows no signs of slowing. For Hines and Tether, the message is clear: the digital dollar is no longer a fringe experiment — it is a cornerstone of the modern global financial system.
