Tether Holds 150,000 Bitcoin CEO Says, 50,000 More Than Its Reserve Report Shows

Dextape brief

By Dextape Desk · November 3, 2026

Tether's chief executive, Paolo Ardoino, stated the company holds about 150,000 bitcoin, worth near $11.5 billion at present prices. That is roughly 50,000 coins more than its latest reserve attestation implies. He made the remark in Lugano, Switzerland, where the firm has operated an adoption initiative covering bitcoin and stablecoins since 2022. Ardoino did not say where the extra coins sit or when they were bought, nor whether they belong to the issuer or to Tether Investments. The third-quarter attestation, released October 30, lists $8.37 billion in bitcoin as of September 30, about 100,060 coins. Tether has said profit-funded investments are segregated from USDT reserves, which could explain the gap. The company has yet to say if it will publish a breakdown of holdings kept off the reserve.

Why it matters: The unexplained gap between Tether's stated and attested bitcoin holdings bears directly on how transparent the stablecoin issuer's reserves are.

Mentioned: Bitcoin, Tether

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