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Stablecoin Giant Tether Strikes Gold: Achieves Record Net Profit Of $4.5 Billion In Q1

Stablecoin issuer Tether, a prominent player in the cryptocurrency market behind the widely used USDT stablecoin, has released its audit statement for the first quarter of 2024, accompanied by a report conducted by independent accounting firm BDO. 

The report, which provides additional financial information beyond the reserves backing Tether’s fiat-denominated stablecoins, shows the company’s profit for the first quarter of the year, which saw an increased influx of capital into the market. 

Tether Q1 2024 Financials Soar

Digging into the numbers, the first quarter of 2024 proved highly profitable for Tether, with a net profit of $4.52 billion. 

The main contributors, the entities responsible for issuing stablecoins and managing reserves, reportedly generated approximately $1 billion of this profit from net operating gains, primarily from US Treasury holdings. The remaining profits were attributable to mark-to-market gains on Bitcoin (BTC) and gold positions.

The report also highlighted Tether’s success in increasing its direct and indirect holdings of US Treasuries to over $90 billion. This includes indirect exposure through overnight reverse repurchase agreements collateralized by US Treasuries and investments in US Treasuries through money market funds.

Tether

In a sign of significant growth, Tether also disclosed its net equity for the first time, revealing a figure of $11.37 billion as of March 31, 2024. This is an increase from the $7.01 billion equity reported as of December 31, 2023. 

The report also highlighted a $1 billion increase in excess reserves, which support the company’s stablecoin offerings, bringing the total to nearly $6.3 billion.

CEO Emphasizes Transparency And Stability

The BDO confirmation reiterated that Tether-issued tokens are 90% backed by cash and cash equivalents, underscoring the company’s stance on maintaining liquidity within the stablecoin ecosystem. Furthermore, the report revealed that over $12.5 billion worth of USDT was issued in the first quarter alone.

Tether Group’s strategic investments, which exceed $5 billion as of the report date, span various sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI) and data, renewable energy, person-to-person (P2P) communication, and Bitcoin Mining. 

In response to the latest report, Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, expressed the company’s commitment to transparency, stability, liquidity, and responsible risk management. 

Ardoino highlighted Tether’s record-breaking profit benchmark of $4.52 billion and the company’s efforts to increase transparency and trust within the cryptocurrency industry. Ardoino further claimed:

In reporting not just the composition of our reserves, but now the Group’s net equity of $11.37 billion, Tether is again raising the bar in the cryptocurrency industry in the realms of transparency and trust. 

Tether

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

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Toncoin Price Jumps 17% As Tether Widens Payment Choices On Telegram’s TON Network

Tether, the company behind the largest stablecoin in the market, USDT, has made a significant expansion move that has propelled the Toncoin price, the native token of The Open Network (TON), by 17% in the past 24 hours. 

Tether Expands Reach To 15 Blockchains

On Friday, Tether announced the launch of its USDT dollar-pegged token and Tether Gold (XAUT), a gold-backed digital token, on The Open Network. This development marks a significant move for Tether, expanding its presence to 15 blockchains. 

The integration of TON with Telegram, which boasts over 900 million global users, is expected to provide a “seamless and borderless” experience for peer-to-peer (P2P) payments within Telegram’s user base.

With the introduction of USDT and XAUT on TON, Tether aims to facilitate the easy transfer of value between users in the TON ecosystem and other blockchain networks while increasing the transfer speed and reducing costs. 

Paolo Ardoino, CEO at Tether, expressed excitement about the launch, emphasizing their support for The Open Network’s vision of an open and “decentralized internet.” Ardoino stated:

We’re excited to bring USD₮ and XAU₮ to The Open Network because we support its vision of an open and decentralized internet and a borderless financial system. The launch of USD₮ and XAU₮ on TON will allow seamless value transfer, increasing activity and liquidity while offering users a financial experience that can match those found in the traditional financial system. This furthers our mission of powering open financial infrastructure across the blockchain space.

11 Million TON Tokens To Drive Adoption Of USDT, XAUT

Meanwhile, The Open Network claims to “revolutionize” global peer-to-peer payments, allowing Telegram users to send money instantly without needing a blockchain address or downloading a new app. 

Notably, USDT on TON will be complemented by fully integrated on-ramps supporting most fiat currencies globally. Additionally, integrated global off-ramps will facilitate users’ withdrawal of supported fiat currencies directly to their bank accounts or cards.

The TON Foundation has allocated 11 million TON tokens as incentives to drive adoption. Five million TON will be utilized to boost rewards in USDT/TON liquidity pools across TON decentralized exchanges (DEXes) like StonFi and Dedust. 

Another 5 million TON will be distributed to users who deposit USDT to the Earn campaign of Telegram’s wallet. Furthermore, withdrawals to TON from supporting exchanges such as OKEx, Bybit, and KuCoin will be free for all users until the end of June 2024.

Ultimately, the introduction of USDT and XAUT on TON, coupled with the incentives provided, is expected to accelerate the adoption of TON and establish it as a “faster, easier and more cost-effective” cross-border payment system compared to traditional financial services, according to The Open Network’s announcement.  

Toncoin Price Rallies

Following the disclosure of the partnership, the Toncoin price surged, reaching a high of $8.02 on Friday. This marked the end of a sharp decline over the past week since the token achieved its all-time high (ATH) of $8.79 on April 11. After reaching the new ATH, the Toncoin price dropped to a low of $5.42 on Saturday, April 13.

However, with the recent partnership announcement, the Toncoin price has regained its bullish momentum and is currently trading at $6.59. 

It aims to surpass the price resistance level of $7.70, which will pave the way for reaching and surpassing the $8 mark. This would provide a favorable trajectory for the Toncoin price to conquer and exceed its current ATH.

Toncoin price

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

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Expert Analysis: Bitcoin ‘Bottom Is Not In’, Potential $30K Retest On The Horizon

Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, closed January above the $40,000 threshold, signaling positive price action. However, market expert Justin Bennett suggests that Bitcoin’s bottom has yet to be reached. 

Bennett’s analysis highlights the possibility of further price declines, with Tether’s stablecoin USDT dominance (USDT.D) chart indicating potential downward movements. 

Tether Dominance Signals Concerns For BTC’s Price

Bitcoin’s recent price recovery and ability to surpass the $40,000 level have provided optimism among investors. Nevertheless, Bennett believes further price declines could follow a retest of the mid $44,000 range. 

Bennett highlights the inverse relationship between Tether dominance and Bitcoin. According to his analysis, the levels on the Tether dominance chart since October have been reliable indicators for Bitcoin’s price movements. 

Bitcoin

According to Bennett’s analysis, as depicted in the chart above, Tether’s dominance may experience a potential increase from its current level of 6%. This increase could bring it closer to the 8% mark. 

In such a scenario, Bitcoin’s performance would likely move in the opposite direction, indicating potential price declines soon.

On January 25, Bennett suggested that Bitcoin could drop another 20% from its current levels, which would place it around $30,000. If this scenario plays out, it would be crucial for Bitcoin bulls to defend the $30,000 level to maintain the current bullish structure.

A drop below $29,000 would give bears a stronger position, with only three major support lines remaining at $28,400, $25,900, and $24,000 before a potential retest of the $20,000 mark. 

The performance of these support levels and Bitcoin’s ability to withstand increased selling pressure will be key factors to monitor. The future market sentiment will also play a significant role in determining Bitcoin’s price trajectory.

Bitcoin Witnesses Stellar Accumulation Trend

Despite the possibility of further price drops, renowned crypto analyst Ali Martinez has shed light on a notable trend in BTC’s recent accumulation streak by investors.

According to Ali Martinez’s analysis, Bitcoin is experiencing a significant accumulation streak, rivaling some of the most notable periods observed over the past few years. 

The Accumulation Trend Score, a metric that gauges the buying activity of larger entities, has remained consistently high, hovering near 1 for the past four months.

Bitcoin

This suggests that influential market participants are actively accumulating Bitcoin, signaling their confidence in the long-term potential of the cryptocurrency. 

Martinez’s observations further indicate that Bitcoin’s price range around $42,560 has emerged as a highly significant interest zone. 

Within this range, an impressive total of 912,626 BTC has been transacted. This is expected to be a significant support level, potentially preventing further downside movements and fostering increased buying interest.

These trends collectively contribute to a positive market outlook, suggesting that despite potential price drops, Bitcoin remains an attractive asset for long-term investment.

Bitcoin

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

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Bitcoin Accumulation: USDT Issuer Tether Goes On Massive 8,888 BTC Buying Spree

In an encouraging development for the crypto space, Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, has doubled down on its Bitcoin investment momentum by acquiring a staggering 8,888 BTC, further diversifying its portfolio. 

Tether Increases Its Bitcoin Holdings

Tether has recently made its third largest Bitcoin purchase, as the stablecoin issuer added a total of 8,888 BTC valued at $380 million at the time of purchase. This brings its total BTC holdings to 66,465 BTC, valued at $2.81 billion with an average buy price of $42,353. 

This transaction was captured by BitInfoCharts data, which also showed the previous amounts of BTC accumulated by the blockchain-enabled platform. This recent purchase follows Tether’s Bitcoin investment strategy, in line with its vision to continuously strengthen its reserves by accumulating Bitcoin.

Earlier in May 2023, the stablecoin issuer announced in a blog post that it would regularly allocate 15% of its net realized operating profits toward increasing its BTC reserves. As of the end of March 2023, Tether held approximately $1.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency, a $1.3 billion difference from its total BTC holdings presently. 

According to reports from Dune Analytics, Tether has become the 11th largest Bitcoin holder, with Microstrategy, an American business intelligence service, surpassing Tether’s holdings with over 189,00 BTC accumulated. The other addresses in the top 10 rankings are owned by major crypto exchanges and governments, including Binance, Bitfinex and the US government. 

Tether’s decision to double down on its Bitcoin investments signals its confidence in the cryptocurrency’s future trajectory. It also underscores the blockchain platform’s belief in the long-term potential of BTC as it aims to capitalize on Bitcoin’s potential growth by bolstering and diversifying its digital asset reserve.  

Bitcoin price chart from Tradingview.com (Tether USDT)

BTC Accumulation Race Amidst ETF Hype

Tether’s strategic Bitcoin purchase comes at a time when the crypto market is buzzing with excitement over Spot Bitcoin ETFs. Before the approval of Spot Bitcoin ETFs, Tether had steadily increased its BTC portfolio, purchasing substantial quantities of BTC consistently. In March 2023, the stablecoin issuer bought 15,915 BTC and another 4,083 BTC between the months of May and September.

The timing of Tether’s BTC purchase suggests a proactive stance towards potentially seizing the opportunities brought forth by the Spot Bitcoin ETF market and the upcoming Bitcoin halving in April.

In addition to Tether’s large-scale BTC acquisition, Microstrategy is also another major player which has been continually increasing its BTC holdings. The business intelligence software company added a whopping 14,620 BTC to its portfolio in December 2023. At the time, the value of the purchase was about $615.7 million. 

Other companies with large BTC holdings include Galaxy Digital and Elon Musk’s Tesla, as well as space exploration company SpaceX.