First, Tether invested $150M in Gold.com, taking a 12% stake and pushing its gold-backed stablecoin XAUT closer to both tokenized and physical gold distribution. Then came a $100M strategic equity investment into Anchorage Digital, the first federally regulated digital asset bank in the US. Regulated custody, staking, and settlement. In this case, it refers to the institutional and operational aspects of cryptocurrencies. And finally, Tether-backed t-0 network, a USD₮-powered settlement network designed to make cross-border payments behave like local ones, with near-instant settlement and lower FX friction.
„Three moves. Same direction. This feels less like expansion and more like plumbing being laid very deliberately. Put together, the context goes beyond simply launching another token. It’s about owning the rails: store of value, regulated custody, and settlement infrastructure, all tied together with stablecoins.” – said Marcel van Oost, founder of the Connecting the Dots in Fintech.
Tether Announces Investment in t-0 Network to Support USD₮-Powered Payments System
Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, announced a strategic investment in t-0 network, a USD₮-powered settlement platform for licensed financial institutions, to enable instant, cost-effective cross-border payments.
t-0 network is a proprietary payments solution that connects financial institutions worldwide, enabling banks and fintechs to coordinate cross-border fiat-to-fiat payments with near-instant settlement and minimal fees by leveraging stablecoins as the core settlement infrastructure. This innovative approach reduces foreign exchange (FX) exposure, lowers capital requirements, creates new revenue opportunities for members worldwide, and eliminates the complexity of traditional banking.
t-0 network enables international payments to function like local transactions. Each side of a transaction pays or receives funds in their local currencies, while t-0’s global ledger records and matches transactions across financial institutions before settling balances, ensuring transparency and accuracy. The network operates as a trusted, non-custodial infrastructure that enables secure, on-chain movement of funds between licensed partners. It connects licensed institutions through a single API and settles only the net balance at each partner’s chosen currency, delivering a more reliable and transparent model for international payments.
USD₮ is a widely used digital dollar with deep global liquidity, making it accessible to businesses and individuals worldwide. t-0 network builds on this foundation to deliver regulated, programmable settlement between financial institutions, transforming USD₮’s global liquidity into an institutional-grade network for near instant, compliant cross-border value transfers.
“At Tether, we believe financial freedom should be easily accessible to everyone, and we are committed to delivering this through infrastructure that is fast, transparent, and globally scalable. The t-0 network directly addresses the complexity of international payments by combining real-time settlement, cost efficiency, FX transparency, and global reach. We are excited to support a platform that is transforming cross-border payments into a seamless, trusted experience for institutions worldwide,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.
“We built t-0 network to make borderless economic connection a reality,” said James Brownlee, CEO of t-0 network. “Our goal is to make global payments feel local, whether you’re a fintech in London or a bank in Buenos Aires. With Tether’s support, we’ve developed the infrastructure to remove friction between developed and emerging markets, enabling institutions everywhere to connect, transact, and grow on equal terms.”
This initiative underscores Tether’s commitment to supporting innovative financial infrastructure that enables real-world use cases for USD₮ and promotes global financial inclusion.
Tether Makes $150 Million Strategic Investment in Gold.com, Expanding Global Access to Tokenized and Physical Gold
Tether Investments (the independent investment arm of Tether) announced a strategic investment in Gold.com, acquiring a minority ownership position and establishing a long-term collaboration to expand access to gold across digital and traditional distribution channels. For Tether, this investment reflects a disciplined, long-term strategy focused on building durable infrastructure and delivering real-world utility.
As part of this investment, Tether has acquired approximately 12 percent of Gold.com in a $150 million transaction, establishing a partnership that will integrate Tether’s gold-backed digital asset, XAU₮, into Gold.com’s platform and support broader collaboration on global distribution. The companies are also exploring options to enable customers to purchase physical gold using digital currencies such as USD₮, the world’s largest stablecoin, and USA₮, the newly launched, federally regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin. This is subject to regulatory, technical, and commercial considerations.
The announcement comes amid renewed momentum in global gold markets, with prices surpassing $5,000 per ounce in recent days, reinforcing gold’s role as a store of value amid heightened macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.
The gold-backed stablecoin market nearly tripled in the last 12 months, growing from roughly $1.3 billion to more than $5.5 billion, driven by record gold prices and rising demand for on-chain safe-haven assets. XAU₮ accounts for more than 60% of the global gold-stablecoin market cap. As asset managers and sovereign participants increasingly adopt blockchain-based issuance and custody, tokenized gold is emerging as a core real-world asset.
Tether Gold leads this market with strict 1:1 physical backing, daily transparency, and regulated issuance under El Salvador’s Digital Asset Issuance Law, supported by approximately 140 tonnes of gold. The investment follows Tether’s latest independent attestation, which confirms that XAU₮ remains fully backed by allocated physical gold held in secure vaults, with each token representing one fine troy ounce of gold linked to a specific London Good Delivery bar.
The investment reflects Tether’s continued focus on building durable financial infrastructure that performs across market cycles and geopolitical environments. Rather than viewing gold as a short-term trade or speculative asset, Tether treats it as a long-term allocation for users seeking stability, optionality, and capital preservation. It also builds on the growing adoption of XAU₮, which is backed by physical gold held in secure vaults and allows users to hold, transfer, and redeem gold digitally while maintaining direct ownership. By integrating XAU₮ into an established precious metals platform, Tether is extending tokenized gold beyond crypto-native markets and into real-world commerce.
“Gold has played a central role in preserving value for centuries, particularly during periods of monetary stress and geopolitical uncertainty,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Our investment in Gold.com reflects a long-term belief that gold should be as accessible, transferable, and usable as modern digital money, without compromising on physical backing or ownership.Gold exposure is not a trade for Tether; it is a hedge and a long-term allocation to protect our user base and ourselves in a world that is becoming increasingly unstable. XAU₮ was built with that principle in mind, combining the resilience of gold with the efficiency of blockchain-based settlement.”
Tether Announces $100 Million Strategic Equity Investment in Anchorage Digital
Tether Investments announced a $100 million strategic equity investment in Anchorage Digital, a leading digital asset platform serving innovators and investors. The investment expands an existing relationship between the two companies and reflects a shared focus on building secure, regulated infrastructure for the next phase of digital asset adoption.
Anchorage Digital Bank N. A is America’s first federally regulated digital asset bank offering staking, custody, governance, settlement, and stablecoin issuance to institutions and innovators globally. Tether’s investment reflects its view that Anchorage Digital plays a critical role in supporting the growing integration of digital assets into mainstream financial systems.
While the investment is financial in nature, it also reflects a broader strategic alignment. Both companies are focused on strengthening the core infrastructure required for digital assets to operate safely, at scale, and within clear regulatory frameworks.
As Tether has grown in scale, the company has increasingly focused on how digital asset technology can operate within established legal and regulatory environments. This includes working closely with regulated institutions that share a commitment to transparency, oversight, and long-term market integrity. The investment in Anchorage Digital aligns with this approach.
Anchorage Digital operates at the intersection of regulation and security, providing federally regulated digital asset services in the United States and globally. This foundation enables institutions, enterprises, and public sector organizations to engage with digital assets in a compliant and secure environment – capabilities that led Tether to support Anchorage Digital Bank, the issuer of USA₮. That first-hand experience operating within Anchorage Digital’s banking, compliance, and custody infrastructure ultimately informed Tether’s decision to make a strategic equity investment, reflecting confidence in the platform as adoption continues to scale.
For Tether, the investment reinforces a broader strategy centered on regulatory alignment and long-term partnerships with institutions that are helping define how stablecoins operate within established financial and legal frameworks.
“Tether exists to challenge the status quo and build global infrastructure for freedom,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Our investment in Anchorage Digital reflects a shared belief in the importance of secure, transparent, and resilient financial systems. Anchorage Digital has set a strong benchmark for institutional digital asset infrastructure, and we are pleased to support its continued growth.”
“Tether’s investment is a strong validation of the infrastructure we’ve spent years building the hard way,” said Nathan McCauley, Co-Founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital. “We’ve believed from day one that digital assets would only scale through secure, regulated foundations. This alliance reflects shared conviction in that approach—and gives us even more momentum as we continue building critical financial infrastructure for stablecoin issuance and the next era of markets.”
Together, Tether and Anchorage Digital share the view that the future of finance depends on open systems built on strong governance and regulatory clarity. By supporting regulated, institutional-grade infrastructure, the two companies aim to enable broader participation in digital assets while promoting stability, inclusion, and long-term confidence in the ecosystem.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„To be honest I think that Sinaia, your conference, is much better then Davos.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
