Paolo Ardoino: From innovation in stablecoins to building a global financial empire

Paolo Ardoino has established himself as one of the most influential figures in the reconfiguration of the global financial infrastructure during 2025 and 2026. As CEO of Tether, the company responsible for USDT — the most capitalized stablecoin with over 185 billion dollars — Ardoino has transformed a historically questioned company into a strategic player that converges blockchain technology with traditional financial power.

Regulation as a Catalyst: Paolo Ardoino Redefines Tether’s Business Model

The introduction of formal regulatory frameworks in key jurisdictions marked a turning point in Tether’s trajectory. The approval of the GENIUS Act in the United States — the first major crypto legislative project to become law — opened doors that had historically been closed to the company.

Recognizing this opportunity, Ardoino launched USAT, a stablecoin specifically designed under U.S. standards. This move marked the first time Tether introduced a product based on a local regulatory regime, demonstrating the strategic evolution of both the company and the industry. A decade of criticism regarding the opacity of USDT reserves now contrasts with this new position of institutional transparency.

For this venture, Ardoino recruited prominent partners: Cantor Fitzgerald — whose former CEO Howard Lutnick now serves as U.S. Secretary of Commerce — as reserve custodian, and Anchorage Digital, a federally regulated crypto bank, as issuer. The appointment of Bo Hines, a former White House crypto advisor, to lead USAT reflected a deliberate strategy of political and regulatory penetration.

The result was tangible: the stablecoin sector’s market capitalization reached 300 billion dollars, with USDT consolidating a 60% market share by the end of 2025. Paolo Ardoino had achieved what seemed unlikely: transforming Tether into a compliant financial services provider alongside top-tier institutions.

The Balance Sheet as a Weapon: How Tether Expands Its Influence Beyond Stablecoins

The true scope of Ardoino’s leadership goes beyond token issuance. His profits in 2025 exceeded 10 billion dollars by the end of the third quarter, with profit margins close to 99%. This extraordinary financial strength provided Tether with the resources to metamorphose into something unprecedented: a crypto financial infrastructure conglomerate.

Paolo Ardoino announced that his investment portfolio had grown to over 120 companies, deployed through accumulated earnings. Tether applied for an investment fund license in El Salvador, where it has its operational base, consolidating its presence in a crypto-friendly country.

Bitcoin mining became a strategic pillar. Adecoagro, a Brazilian agribusiness company, was acquired with a 70% stake to explore Bitcoin mining leveraging surplus renewable energy. Ardoino had projected that Tether would be the leading Bitcoin miner by the end of 2025, having allocated 2 billion dollars to energy infrastructure and extraction operations.

Even more surprising was the shift toward precious metals. Tether holds 12.9 billion dollars in physical gold and acquired a minority stake in Elemental Altus, a precious metals investment company. During Bitcoin 2025, Ardoino called gold the “nature’s Bitcoin,” highlighting his vision of diversifying store of value reserves.

Juventus and Global Ambition: Paolo Ardoino Crosses Crypto Borders

One of the most unusual moves was Tether’s entry into professional football. In February, the company acquired an 8.2% stake in Juventus, a Turin-based club with over a century of history and a solid foundation in European football’s elite. Significantly, Turin is Ardoino’s hometown.

By April, the stake grew to over 10%, positioning Tether as the second-largest shareholder. Unlike superficial sponsorships that other crypto companies carried out in 2021-2022, Tether under Ardoino’s leadership sought active participation in governance: it requested to intervene in capital increases and to obtain representation on the board of directors.

This move encapsulates Paolo Ardoino’s strategy: to transcend the crypto ecosystem toward institutions with global reach. The possibility that Tether could exert significant influence in the management of one of the most emblematic football clubs in the world demonstrates how Ardoino is building a presence that extends far beyond blockchain and stablecoins, touching financial and energy infrastructure, and now institutional entertainment of world-class level.