Tether CEO dismisses insolvency claims, says critics ignore $30B in group equity

Key Takeaways

• Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino dismissed claims questioning potential insolvency of USDT.
• Tether holds around $30 billion in group equity, acting as a buffer for asset value declines.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino today dismissed insolvency claims against the USDT stablecoin issuer, pointing to the company’s multi-billion-dollar excess reserves and around $30 billion in total Group equity as protection against potential asset declines.

The dismissal addresses concerns that sharp drops in Bitcoin or gold values could threaten USDT’s stability.

Tether has faced recurring questions about its reserve composition and financial stability as it operates the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization. The company maintains reserves in US Treasuries, Bitcoin, and gold to back its tokens and hedge against fiat currency debasement.

Ardoino emphasized the company’s substantial equity buffer as a safeguard beyond the standard reserves.

The CEO of Tether criticized recent analyses, including those from S&P, for failing to account for Tether’s Group equity. He also suggested some influencers are “bad at math” or are incentivized to promote competitors.