Tether Plans AI Expansion Beyond Stablecoins, Says Paolo Ardoino

Highlights:

• Tether is expanding into artificial intelligence as it looks beyond its core USDT stablecoin business.
• A recent audit found Tether’s reserves exceeded liabilities by $6.8 billion and confirmed its gold holdings.
• CEO Paolo Ardoino says Tether plans simple AI tools for mobile users in developing markets.

Tether is pushing deeper into artificial intelligence (AI) as it expands beyond its stablecoin business. The move follows a KPMG audit that confirmed Tether’s gold holdings and found that its total reserves exceeded liabilities by $6.8 billion. Fortune reported the development on August 17 after speaking with Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

KPMG spent several weeks reviewing Tether’s reserves. The process included checking about 150 tons of gold stored in Switzerland. The gold supports Tether’s gold-backed token, while the company also holds reserves for USDT, its dollar-pegged stablecoin. At the time of the report, Tether had about $183 billion worth of USDT in circulation. The KPMG review therefore gives the company stronger support for its claims about the assets backing its products.

Tether Plans AI Applications for Developing Markets as Global Users Top 650M

According to Fortune, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company is expanding beyond financial services into technology and infrastructure, with plans to develop AI applications for developing markets.… pic.twitter.com/hgmBmlTCLH

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) August 17, 2026

Tether Looks Beyond Its Stablecoin Business

Tether built its name through USDT, but Ardoino said the company now sees itself as a broader financial and technology business. “It’s been a while since we’ve considered ourselves crypto. I think that we are both a digital dollar company and a digital gold company,” Ardoino said.

The company now serves more than 650 million users worldwide, according to Ardoino. Many of those users live in regions such as Africa and South America, where people may seek alternatives to local currencies that lose purchasing power. Tether offers dollar-linked and gold-backed products to meet some of that demand.

Meanwhile, Tether has also invested outside traditional crypto services. During the past two years, the company has backed projects in decentralized communications, agriculture, and solar-powered energy systems. It now plans to add artificial intelligence to that growing list.

Tether Plans AI Tools for Mobile Users

Ardoino believes basic AI services can reach users through smartphones, including people in developing countries. Instead of competing directly with companies building the most advanced AI models, Tether plans to focus on smaller tools designed for everyday use.

The company is considering AI applications for areas such as health, finance, and sports. Tether wants these tools to work on mobile devices and reach markets where many of its existing customers already use USDT or other company products.

However, Ardoino did not provide a clear business model for the planned AI services. Tether has also not disclosed detailed launch dates or pricing for the products. For now, the project remains part of the company’s wider effort to move beyond stablecoins and build technology for a larger global audience.

Ardoino Sees Wider Access to AI as a Key Goal

Ardoino also raised concerns about unequal access to artificial intelligence. He warned that differences in access to AI could deepen existing economic gaps as the technology becomes more useful in work and daily life.

Tether’s AI plans add another area to a business already centered on USDT, gold, and digital infrastructure. At the same time, the KPMG audit gives the company fresh support for its reserve claims as it tries to grow beyond its core stablecoin operations.