Tether Holdings SA, the issuer of the stablecoin USDT, is in early discussions with major investors SoftBank Group and Ark Investment to take part in what would be its largest-ever private funding round, a Bloomberg report showed.
The stablecoin giant is seeking to raise $15 billion to $20 billion in fresh capital via a private placement in exchange for roughly 3% equity in the company. If successful, the deal would imply a valuation for Tether of up to $500 billion.
Tether’s largest external fundraise
According to sources familiar with the discussions, Tether plans to use the new equity to broaden its footprint beyond stablecoins. Areas under consideration are artificial intelligence, Cloud computing, Real estate, and energy. The company may also want to look at expansion of global distribution networks and regulatory compliance efforts, particularly in the U.S.
As of the reports, neither SoftBank nor Ark have confirmed their participation. Tether similarly has stayed vague on precise terms. From what’s known, this is Tether’s largest external fundraising to date. It would elevate Tether among the world’s highest-valued private companies.
Growing dominance of stablecoins
For competitors like Circle (issuer of USDC), this raise would further intensify the arms race in stablecoins and digital-asset infrastructure. Even more in recent times, given the regulatory and institutional interest in stablecoins post the passage of the GENUIS Act. Tether’s pursuit of new sectors and its push for a U.S. standing, with the launch of U.S.-based stablecoin “USAT,” also suggests it is positioning itself as more than just a stablecoin issuer.
Tether (USDT) is among the most widely used stablecoins. Its market cap or its total circulating value of USDT, stands at about $170–$175 billion. The firm has attracted scrutiny over its reserve practices in the past, but has also expanded rapidly in usage as a bridge between fiat currencies and crypto assets