Overview
- On Jan. 1, 2026, Tether moved 8,888.8888888 BTC—about $780 million—to its reserve wallet, confirmed by CEO Paolo Ardoino and on-chain data.
- Tether’s reserve address holds 96,185 BTC valued near $8.42 billion, making it the fifth-largest known Bitcoin wallet, according to Arkham Intelligence.
- Ember CN estimates total Q4 accumulation at roughly 9,850 BTC (approximately $876 million), including a 961 BTC Bitfinex withdrawal on Nov. 7 before the quarter-end transfer.
- Analysts peg Tether’s average cost basis around $51,100 per BTC, implying more than $3.5 billion in unrealized gains at current prices.
- Tether frames Bitcoin as part of a diversified reserve alongside U.S. Treasuries and gold, even as S&P Global downgraded USDT’s risk assessment over disclosure gaps and greater exposure to higher-risk assets.