Stablecoin issuer rope USDT
-0.10%
According to its latest certification, it achieved a record net profit of $2.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, with excess reserves backing tokens in circulation growing to an all-time high. This is a report conducted by BDO, a global auditing firm.
Net operating income was approximately $1 billion, primarily driven by holdings in U.S. Treasury securities, with the remainder of the gain primarily related to the valuation of Tether’s Bitcoin and gold holdings during the quarter.
The gains increased Tether’s excess reserves by $2.2 billion, bringing the total to $5.4 billion. The rest was used to fund investments in projects including mining, AI infrastructure and peer-to-peer communications, and is not considered part of the reserves, the company said.
BDO confirmed that Tether’s year-end outstanding $4.8 billion in unsecured loans were fully covered by excess reserves. Tether said it was proud to remove collateral risk from its token reserves.
“While these collateralized loans are overcollateralized, Tether has accumulated sufficient excess reserves to cover the entire exposure,” the company said. “This is in response to concerns expressed in the past by the community about this part of the portfolio.”
Tether’s main business is operating the USDT stablecoin, which generates $6.2 billion in annual net profit.
Tether buys more Bitcoin
Tether also acquired an additional 8,888 Bitcoin in the fourth quarter, bringing its total holdings to approximately 66,465. 
BTC
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— Currently worth about $2.8 billion — The Block It was reported earlier this month.
As of December 31, the company’s consolidated holdings amounted to at least $97 billion, including $80.3 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds and $3.5 billion in gold. Tether’s consolidated debt related to issued digital tokens amounts to $91.6 billion, 90% of which is collateralized by cash or cash equivalents.
“Tether’s fourth quarter certification underscores our commitment to transparency, stability and responsible financial management,” said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.
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