Tether began 2026 with adding 8,888.88 BTC to its treasury wallet as part of its Q4 2025 profit allocation, according to CEO Paolo Ardoino.

The transfer, worth roughly $780 million at current prices, reinforces a strategy that has quietly made the world’s largest stablecoin issuer one of bitcoin’s biggest corporate holders.

The purchase follows a policy Tether introduced in 2023 to allocate up to 15% of its realized quarterly operating profits to bitcoin purchases, effectively turning the company into a systematic accumulator rather than an opportunistic buyer.

These accumulations matter because Tether’s profits are directly tied to the cash-like assets backing USDT, primarily short-term U.S. Treasuries and repos. That means higher rates and strong demand for stablecoins can translate into more operating profit and, by extension, more bitcoin purchases.

Unlike corporate buyers that raise capital specifically to buy BTC, Tether’s approach is closer to an internal treasury strategy.

It uses excess earnings to diversify reserves without touching the assets backing its stablecoin liabilities, while still keeping the bulk of its backing in highly liquid instruments.

The timing is also notable. Bitcoin has struggled to sustain rallies into year-end, with liquidity thinning across venues and risk appetite uneven.

BTC was trading around $89,000 by mid-day Hong Kong time.