Tether Made $4.5 Billion in 2026, Yet Its Bitcoin Pile Now Outweighs USDT's Safety Net

Dextape brief

By Dextape Desk · October 30, 2026

Tether posted $4.5 billion in profit over the first nine months of 2026, per its third-quarter attestation issued Friday. Its safety buffer for USDT holders stands at $7.95 billion, now below the $8.37 billion of Bitcoin held in reserves. The buffer nearly doubled over three months, climbing from $4.11 billion, after gold and Bitcoin price swings had halved it last quarter. Tether's profit measure omits those price moves, while BDO's attestation counts them, so the buffer rose $1.66 billion over nine months. Gold and Bitcoin hold $27.45 billion in reserves; BeInCrypto estimated a combined 29% decline would erase the whole buffer. Treasuries, reverse repos and cash make up the other 73%. BDO noted its valuations assume ordinary market conditions rather than stressed ones.

Why it matters: It shows the stablecoin's reserve margin leans heavily on gold and Bitcoin prices, which matters to anyone tracking how USDT stays backed.

Mentioned: Bitcoin, Tether

Summary by Dextape, based on reporting by BeInCrypto. Written with AI from the publisher’s text and checked automatically for copied wording and unsupported figures. Not investment advice.