Beyond Stablecoins: An Overview of Tether's $2 Billion Strategic Investment Landscape from AI to Brain-Computer Interfaces

Author: KarenZ, Foresight News

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino disclosed on July 23 that "its portfolio now covers over 120 companies, and this number is expected to grow significantly in the coming months and even years. These investments are derived from Tether's own profits (with a profit of $13.7 billion in 2024), completely isolated from the reserves of USDT (and other stablecoins), and fall under the business scope of Tether Investments."

Tether Investments is a company established by Tether under the laws of the Republic of El Salvador, focusing on strategic investments across various fields that intersect technology, infrastructure, and practical utility. Its portfolio covers areas such as artificial intelligence, financial services, energy, biotechnology, education, and digital media, holding strategic equity in industries like commodities, remittances, sports, and entertainment, extending its reach beyond stablecoins.

In its Q1 2025 report, Tether noted that through Tether Investments, it has continuously made strategic investments, committing over $2 billion to long-term projects in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, peer-to-peer communication, and data infrastructure, aiming to build a sustainable digital economy.

Tether's official website features five major sectors: Finance, Power (renewable energy mining), Data, Edu (education), and Evo (human evolution). From the layout of these five sectors, it is not difficult to glimpse Tether's strategic betting direction.

• Tether Finance is dedicated to promoting financial inclusion and enhancing global financial accessibility in regions lacking or missing banking infrastructure. This is reflected in stablecoins, Tether wallet development kits, asset tokenization, TradeFi, and investments.
• Tether Power focuses on the integration of renewable energy and Bitcoin mining;
• Tether Data develops artificial intelligence and P2P technologies, with Tether's support for projects like Holepunch and Pears.com highlighting its commitment to peer-to-peer technology, while its investment in Northern Data will aid AI research and projects.
• Tether Edu aims to expand access to educational tools and resources, with Tether's investment in the Academy of Digital Industries in Georgia and support for PlanB.Network breaking down educational barriers and driving the gig economy.
• Tether Evo is committed to empowering humanity in the inevitable evolution of the future. Tether's investment in Blackrock Neurotech is leading advancements in neurotechnology, creating brain-machine interfaces and opening new fields for communication, rehabilitation, and cognitive enhancement.

This article will summarize and introduce the 25 portfolios disclosed by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

Source: Tether Official Website

Digital Finance (Payments / Exchanges / Wallets / Stablecoins, etc.)

CityPay

CityPay is a digital currency payment solution for businesses, allowing them to accept cryptocurrency payments and receive local fiat currency. Previously reported by Tech.eu, CityPay completed a €2 million seed round in August 2023, which included a $500,000 cryptocurrency investment from Tether and Presto Ventures. In May 2024, Tether made an additional investment in CityPay.

Fizen

Fizen is a Hong Kong fintech company focused on self-custody crypto wallets and digital payments. Fizen's three main products include the Fizen Super App, Fizen Pay payment gateway, and Fizen Ramp (a suite of solutions for buying and selling cryptocurrencies using fiat currency).

In April 2025, Tether announced a strategic investment in Fizen to enhance the use of global stablecoins and self-custody solutions.

Kem

Founded in 2021, Kem is a P2P payment platform focused on the Middle East, allowing users to instantly remit money to contacts via QR codes without traditional accounts or payment links, and also supports investment in gold and spending with crypto cards called Kem Infinity Cards. In August 2024, Kem received $3 million in strategic financing from Tether, while integrating USDT into its platform.

Mansa

Mansa is a liquidity engine that is transforming global payments through a stablecoin-based smart liquidity solution. In February 2025, Mansa completed a $10 million seed round, with Tether leading a $3 million equity investment. The funds will be used to support the company's expansion into Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Oobit

Oobit is a crypto mobile payment app that allows payments using Oobit anywhere Visa and Mastercard are accepted, enabling seamless cryptocurrency-to-fiat transactions. In February 2024, Oobit completed a $25 million Series A funding round, led by Tether Investments, with participation from CMCC Global's Titan Fund, 468 Capital, and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko. Subsequently, Tether announced a partnership with the TON Foundation and Oobit to create a seamless crypto payment solution.

Orionx

Orionx is a Chilean cryptocurrency exchange operating in Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. In June 2025, Orionx completed a Series A funding round exclusively led by Tether, which will help Orionx strengthen its regional business, enhance its technological capabilities, and expand its stablecoin-driven infrastructure to support remittances, payments, and financial services in Latin America.

Quantoz

Quantoz is a stablecoin issuer licensed by the Dutch Central Bank, launching two new stablecoins, USDQ and EURQ, compliant with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in November 2024, pegged to the US dollar and euro, respectively. In the same month, Tether announced a strategic investment in Quantoz.

It is noteworthy that although Tether is not listed among the stablecoin issuers approved under the EU's MiCA regulatory framework, its investment in Quantoz complies with MiCAR standards.

Synonym

Synonym is a developer of a Bitcoin-centric software and services ecosystem, offering self-custody Bitcoin and Lightning Network wallets, the Bitkit application, and providing Lightning services for Bitcoin users through Blocktank.

Shiga Digital

Shiga Digital provides virtual accounts, OTC trading services, fund management, and off-exchange services for African businesses. Shiga is registered as a licensed virtual asset service provider in the EU. Shiga Digital is developing an on-chain gateway that allows users to purchase everyday goods and services directly with USDT without converting to local currency, connecting cross-border economies.

In June 2025, Tether announced a strategic investment in Shiga Digital. This collaboration will build a seamless blockchain financial infrastructure supported by USDT.

Sorted Wallet

Sorted Wallet offers cross-border payments, stablecoin hedging, cryptocurrency investments, crypto spending, P2P on-chain payments, and staking services to users without bank accounts using Bitcoin and USDT. In September 2024, Tether announced a strategic investment of $1.5 million in Sorted Wallet.

Twenty One Capital (XXI)

Twenty One Capital (XXI) is a treasury company focused on Bitcoin. In April 2025, Tether, SoftBank Group, and Jack Mallers jointly launched Twenty One, with the majority of shares held by its co-founders, Tether, and Bitfinex, while SoftBank Group holds a minority stake. According to its official website, Twenty One Capital currently holds 31,500 BTC (funded by Tether and Bitfinex).

Twenty One will also develop a corporate architecture for financial products built on Bitcoin, including native lending models, capital market tools, and innovative alternatives to traditional financial instruments that align with Bitcoin.

XREX Group

XREX Group has established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, aiming to strengthen ties with banks, credit card companies, and payment providers, focusing on blockchain-based payment solutions.

In June 2024, Tether announced a $18.75 million investment in XREX Group. XREX Group plans to use the new funds to further promote cross-border payments using USDT in emerging markets and intends to collaborate with Tether to develop regulatory technology tools to detect and prevent the illegal use of stablecoins. XREX subsequently partnered with the Unitas Foundation to launch the USD-pegged stablecoin XAU1, which is over-collateralized with Tether Gold (XAUt), providing customers with a stable alternative and inflation hedge.

Zengo

Zengo is a crypto wallet provider that employs institutional-grade MPC (Multi-Party Computation) solutions. In February 2025, Tether announced a strategic investment in Zengo Wallet, which will further enhance Zengo's capabilities across its cross-blockchain platform, seamlessly supporting Tether stablecoins. This investment will also support the development of Zengo Pro, a premium product designed to enhance user experience through features like theft protection, legacy transfer capabilities, and real-time assistance.

Education / Media

Tether stated, "Tether is committed to creating a world where education knows no boundaries and knowledge is within reach, breaking down barriers in the education sector and providing users with courses that equip them to tackle various challenges of the digital age and seize opportunities."

Academy of Digital Industries

The Academy of Digital Industries is a digital industry academy in Georgia. Some of the courses listed on its official website include cybersecurity courses, basics of cryptocurrency, AI practical courses, graphic design, interior design, social media, programming, search engine optimization, and more, most of which are paid courses.

Be Water

Be Water is an Italian media company that includes podcast production companies Chora Media, Will Media, and film production and distribution company Be Water Film. In March 2025, Be Water acquired a 30.4% stake in Be Water for €10 million. The two parties will collaborate to enhance digital content distribution and integrate new technological solutions. Be Water will also develop a comprehensive technological infrastructure to distribute high-quality independent content globally using blockchain and digital tools.

PlanB.Network

Tether's investment portfolio does not list PlanB.Network, but it mentions support for PlanB.Network in its education sector. PlanB.Network focuses on Bitcoin education, providing tutorials on multiple Bitcoin wallets, nodes, mining, exchanges, privacy, and computer security.

Mining / High-Performance Computing / Data / AI / Neurotechnology

Adecoagro

Adecoagro is a South American company producing food and renewable energy through sustainable production methods. Tether previously invested $100 million in September 2024 to acquire a 9.8% stake in Adecoagro, aiming to support and expand the production of sustainable real-world assets (RWA). In April 2025, Tether Investments acquired a 70% controlling stake in Adecoagro. The two parties will collaborate on a renewable energy Bitcoin mining project in Brazil. Adecoagro currently operates 230 megawatts of renewable energy generation facilities in South America, and the project will explore the feasibility of using surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining.

Bitdeer

Bitdeer is a provider and operator of Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing services. In May 2024, Bitdeer signed a subscription agreement with Tether, receiving $150 million in private financing from Tether to support Bitdeer's data center expansion and promote the development of ASIC-based mining. In March 2025, Tether increased its stake in Bitdeer, with Tether and its subsidiaries Tether International, SA de CV and Tether Investments, SA de CV currently holding a total of 31,891,689 Class A common shares, accounting for 21.4% of the company's issued shares.

Blackrock Neurotech

Blackrock Neurotech was founded in 2008 at the University of Utah by scientists and BCI (brain-computer interface) pioneers Florian Solzbacher and Marcus Gerhardt, rapidly becoming a technological leader in the fields of neuroscience, neuroengineering, and neurorestoration. Through Blackrock Neurotech's innovative brain-machine interface technology, patients can operate robotic arms, manipulate wheelchairs, send messages, browse the internet, and even drive cars. Blackrock Neurotech's devices have proven capable of achieving thought-to-text communication, with typing speeds of up to 90 characters per minute and direct speech encoding speeds of up to 62 words per minute.

At the end of April 2024, Tether announced a $200 million investment in Blackrock Neurotech. This investment was made through Tether's newly established venture capital division, Tether Evo, and will help Blackrock Neurotech fund the commercialization and promotion of its medical solutions and support its R&D efforts.

Holepunch

Holepunch is a platform for creating applications without any servers, supported by Tether and Hypercore (a company developing peer-to-peer, scalable, and cryptographically secure distributed systems), with its first product being the fully encrypted video calling application Keet. Holepunch provides a range of small JavaScript modules that can be combined to create various P2P applications (from VPNs to communication tools like Keet). Holepunch's Pear is a modular peer-to-peer runtime, development, and deployment tool.

Tether and Bitfinex provide funding support for Holepunch. Paolo Ardoino previously disclosed that Tether Data is developing AI application previews, including AI translation, AI voice assistants, and AI Bitcoin wallet assistants. Tether plans to launch an open-source AI SDK platform based on Holepunch's JavaScript runtime Bare, suitable for embedded devices, various mobile phones, laptops, and server clusters. Tether Data's AI applications will focus on local execution, emphasizing privacy protection, and supporting self-custody of data and funds.

Northern Data Group

Northern Data Group is a provider of AI and high-performance computing services, with businesses including AI Cloud (Taiga Cloud) and Ardent Data Centers. The group's expected revenue for the full year of 2025 is between €240 million and €320 million, with adjusted EBITDA expected to be between €80 million and €130 million.

In September 2023, Tether announced a strategic investment in Northern Data Group through its subsidiary Damoon. In November 2023, Northern Data received a €575 million debt financing line from Tether. In November 2024, Northern Data Group raised €214 million through a new share issuance (with Tether Investments subscribing to a portion of the new shares) to further invest in NVIDIA GPUs to accelerate the growth of Northern Data Group's cloud platform and expand the company's physical data center footprint in Europe and the United States.

Others

Crystal Intelligence

Crystal Intelligence is a blockchain analytics company used for cryptocurrency crime investigation, compliance, and risk management. In July 2025, Tether made a strategic investment in Crystal Intelligence. Both companies supported the development of Scam Alert (scam-alert.io), which can real-time mark wallet addresses associated with scams and abuse activities.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated, "Tether firmly supports law enforcement in combating illegal activities. With the latest advanced intelligence tools being developed by companies like Crystal Intelligence, Tether is enhancing its ability to assist law enforcement in tracking the flow of funds in real-time. Tether has helped freeze billions of dollars in illegal funds and supported investigations in dozens of jurisdictions. If you abuse USDT, law enforcement will find you."

Elemental Altus Royalties

Elemental Altus Royalties is a gold royalty company listed in Canada, providing investors with higher exposure to gold investments while reducing risk and possessing strong growth potential. In June 2025, Tether Investments acquired a 37.8% stake in Elemental Altus Royalties and has the right to acquire 51.8% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Elemental Altus Royalties.

Paolo Ardoino has stated, "Tether's growing investments in gold and Bitcoin reflect the company's forward-looking strategy to build a more resilient and transparent financial system. Just as Bitcoin provides the ultimate decentralized hedge against currency inflation, gold remains a time-tested store of value. By acquiring a diversified gold royalty investment portfolio through Elemental Altus Royalties, Tether is strengthening support for its ecosystem while advancing the development of Tether Gold and future commodity-backed digital assets."

Rumble

Rumble is a video-sharing platform that completed a $775 million strategic investment from Tether in Q1 2025. Rumble will also launch a crypto wallet, Rumble Wallet, supporting USDT.

Rumble also launched a Bitcoin financial strategy in November 2024 and spent $17.1 million in March 2025 to purchase 188 BTC, with an average purchase price of $91,000 per Bitcoin.

Juventus Football Club

Juventus Football Club, founded in 1897, is one of the oldest clubs in Italy. In February 2025, Tether Investments acquired a minority stake in Juventus Football Club and subsequently increased its stake to 10.12% in April, holding 6.18% of the voting rights, hoping to integrate its digital assets, payments, and expertise in AI and biotechnology into the sports industry.
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