Tether Becomes Top Gold Holder with 140 Tons

Highlights:

• Tether collected about 140 tons of gold, worth nearly $23 billion total.
• The company adds over one ton of gold every week consistently, which places it among the top global private gold holders.
• Gold is securely stored in a high-security Swiss nuclear bunker vault.

Tether Holdings has quickly grown its role in the global gold market. Over the past year, the company collected about 140 tons of gold. At today’s prices, this stock is worth nearly $23 billion. CEO Paolo Ardoino shared these details in a Bloomberg interview.

According to Ardoino, the goal is to compete with big banks in gold trading. He said Tether is becoming one of the largest gold holders in the world. In fact, its gold amount is now higher than the holdings of the three biggest exchange-traded funds.

According to Bloomberg, Tether has become the largest gold reserve holder outside of sovereign nations and banks, currently holding over 140 tons of gold valued at approximately $24 billion. Its reserve size exceeds the official reserves of many countries, including Australia and…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 28, 2026

Tether Accelerates Gold Buying and Ranks Among Top Global Holders

Meanwhile, the buying speed has been very fast. Last year alone, Tether bought more than 70 tons of gold. Most of this gold supports its reserves and the gold-backed stablecoin XAUT. Also, Ardoino said the company adds over one ton of gold every week. Therefore, Tether plans to keep buying for the next few months.

“And it’s still growing,” Ardoino said. He added that the company will review gold buying plans every three months. First, they will study market conditions. Then, they will decide whether to keep buying or slow down. For now, he believes Tether will continue moving in the same direction.

At present, Tether’s gold holdings place it among the top 30 gold holders worldwide. It now holds more gold than countries like Greece and Australia. After this update, Tether’s gold-backed token XAUT jumped 5% in 24 hours. Over the past week, it rose 8.51%. Over the month, it climbed 18.37%. This growth reflects strong demand in the gold market.

Tether Stores Gold in High Security Swiss Nuclear Bunker

Tether has taken special steps to protect its gold reserves. Ardoino, who is 41 years old, said the gold is stored in a former nuclear bunker in Switzerland. Switzerland has about 370,000 old nuclear shelters. Most of them are no longer used. However, one of these shelters now stores crypto-backed gold.

This high-security vault belongs to Tether Holdings SA. It holds so much gold that Tether is now the largest known private gold holder outside banks and governments. Because of this, traditional gold traders must now include one crypto company in their market plans. These gold flows are real, not symbolic. Earlier reports said Tether stored more than 100 tons of gold in Swiss vaults. Past disclosures also showed the reserves were worth tens of billions of dollars at market value.

At the same time, Tether also wants to trade gold, not just store it. It plans to compete with big banks like JPMorgan Chase and HSBC. Ardoino said the main goal is to keep steady and long-term access to gold.

Tether Expands Into Gold Trading and Regulated Stablecoins

Building on this plan, Tether launched USA₮, a dollar-backed stablecoin approved under the GENIUS Act. Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., acts as the official issuer. The bank focuses on clear reporting, strict rules, and risk control. As a result, this has become one of the first federally approved payment stablecoins. The mix of large gold reserves and new stablecoin projects shows Tether’s big plans.

Tether Announces the Launch of USA₮, the Federally Regulated, Dollar-Backed Stablecoin, Made in America 🇺🇲🚀

Read more: https://t.co/rIMQTQ7ipX

— Tether (@tether) January 27, 2026