Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, is reportedly discussing deepening its investment in gold mining companies as part of its wider expansion strategy.

According to a Sept. 5 Financial Times report, the company has held discussions with mining and investment groups to explore opportunities across the entire gold supply chain.

If the plan materializes, it would allow Tether to participate in every stage of the process, from mining and refining to trading and royalties.

Tether has not responded to CryptoSlate’s request for comment as of press time.

Meanwhile, the discussions coincide with renewed strength in the gold market.

Investors seeking safe-haven assets during the current global economic environment have pushed the precious metal’s price to a new all-time high of $3,550 per ounce.

This price rally has created a favorable backdrop for Tether’s interest in the sector.

Tether’s gold embrace

Tether’s reported interest in gold mining builds on its earlier moves into the sector.

The company spent nearly $90 million in June to secure a controlling stake in Canadian royalty firm Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. The deal involved purchasing 78.4 million common shares from La Mancha Investments, giving Tether 31.9% ownership and the option to raise its stake to 50%.

The Crypto Investor Blueprint: A 5-Day Course On Bagholding, Insider Front-Runs, and Missing Alpha

Nice Your first lesson is on the way.

Please add [email protected] to your email whitelist.

On Sept. 4, the stablecoin issuer agreed to expand its stake in the gold-focused firm by acquiring an additional $100 million worth of the company shares.

Beyond equity deals, Tether already issues Tether Gold (XAUT), a leading gold-backed digital token. The firm disclosed in July that XAUT is backed by more than 7.66 tons of gold stored in Switzerland.

Notably, Tether has also reported that its gold holdings represent over 5% of the reserves for its USDT stablecoins.

Tether’s expansion into gold signals a strategy of linking tangible assets with blockchain finance at a time when both safe-haven demand and stablecoin adoption are rising

USDT dominance continues

While expanding into gold, Tether’s core business remains unmatched in the crypto industry.

Data from Token Terminal shows that USDT transfer volumes reached a record $1.32 trillion in August, facilitated by 14 million unique addresses.

With a circulating supply exceeding $170 billion, USDT represents 59.2% of the $288 billion stablecoin market.

That scale makes it the sector’s most important token, cementing its role as the backbone of global crypto liquidity.

Mentioned in this article

Author

Hongji Feng

Author

Hongji Feng

About Author

Hongji is a reporter who covers crypto, finance, and tech. He graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s. He has previously interned at HTX,…

Share

Last updated: 

August 28, 2025

Unusual stock movements ahead of cryptocurrency announcements at several small-cap companies are prompting scrutiny over potential insider trading, according to a Fortune report published on August 28.

The story cites multiple instances where company shares surged in the days before disclosing large crypto purchases. MEI Pharma, for example, saw its stock nearly double prior to revealing a $100 million Litecoin acquisition. No regulatory filings or public statements were issued ahead of the spike.

Experts and Executives Share Concerns

A similar pattern was observed at firms including SharpLink, Mill City Ventures, and Kindly MD.

“It does look suspicious to me,” said Xu Jiang, a finance professor at Duke University. “This usually happens for a lot of insider trading scenarios that I anecdotally know about.”

SharpLink’s shares more than doubled three days before the company announced a $425 million Ethereum allocation. The company said it has “established policies and procedures” to prevent insider trading, but did not provide specifics.

Mill City Ventures, which has since rebranded as SUI Group Holdings, saw its shares triple ahead of news that it raised $450 million to acquire Sui.

“There was definitely activity in the stock prior to the announcement,” said Stephen Mackintosh, an executive involved in the deal.

Executives and investors who receive material non-public information before a crypto deal are subject to insider trading laws, including those briefed during roadshows, said Elisha Kobre, a partner at Sheppard Mullin.

Insider Trading Looms Over Crypto Industry

Some companies are now withholding ticker symbols from investors until markets close, in an attempt to limit price distortion. CEA Industries and Verb Technology have both adopted this approach in recent weeks.

“It’s really to everyone’s advantage to squash this issue,” said Louis Camhi, founder of RLH Capital.

While insider trading rules are well established in traditional finance, the rise of crypto treasury strategies introduces gray areas in enforcement. Unlike mergers or earnings reports, crypto purchases often involve decentralized assets with volatile pricing and informal communication channels, making it harder for regulators to monitor information flows or trace leaks with precision.

At the same time, the expanding trend of treating crypto holdings as strategic balance sheet assets blurs the line between operational decisions and market signaling. Analysts say the mere expectation of price impact tied to a crypto pivot can invite speculative positioning, even in the absence of formal leaks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Blockchain infrastructure platform Centrifuge has crossed $1 billion in total value locked (TVL), joining the ranks of BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and Ondo Finance as the only real-world asset (RWA) platforms to surpass the milestone.

Centrifuge CEO Bhaji Illuminati attributed the milestone to institutions moving from pilots to “real deployments,” alongside strong onchain allocator demand.

“Markets need more than T-bills,” Illuminati told Cointelegraph, pointing to JAAA, an onchain version of Janus Henderson’s AAA-rated collateralized loan obligation (CLO) investment fund, as a natural next step for institutions seeking higher yields than risk-free rates.

Illuminati said that US Treasurys remain the dominant entry point for onchain allocators, but the JAAA product is the fastest-growing tokenized fund in the segment. “We are also seeing rising interest in private credit as institutions look for differentiated yield, with more news coming soon on that front,” he added.

Related: GENIUS Act yield ban may push trillions into tokenized assets — ex-bank exec

Strong demand for tokenized S&P 500

In early July, Centrifuge unveiled a tokenized S&P 500 product as part of a partnership with S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). The product is structured as a regulated professional fund in the British Virgin Islands.

According to Illuminati, demand has been “very strong” ahead of its official rollout in the coming weeks. The launch will be supported by an anchor pool of capital to ensure broad accessibility from day one.

Illuminati added that the S&P 500 is only the beginning, with plans to bring sector-specific and thematic indexes onchain in the near future. “We see strong potential for sector and thematic index products to come onchain next,” he said.

Centrifuge’s pipeline is split between traditional asset managers using  Web3 native asset manager Anemoy and onchain-native managers leveraging its RWA Launchpad. On the demand side, stablecoins and yield products are the biggest buyers, using RWAs to set a “yield floor” for reserves.

Related: eToro to tokenize 100 most popular US stocks on Ethereum

deRWA to bring tokenized assets to retail

Illuminati highlighted plans to open tokenized assets to retail investors through major exchanges, wallets, lending protocols and DeFi integrations through the deRWA initiative. deRWA, as used in DeFi, stands for tokenized RWAs that are engineered for composability and liquidity within DeFi.

As reported, S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) is also in discussions with major exchanges, custodians and DeFi protocols to license and list tokenized versions of its benchmarks, according to Stephanie Rowton, the firm’s director of US equities.

“By establishing these types of relationships, we hope we can work together to participate in a robust infrastructure that supports the trading and accessibility of tokenized versions of our indexes, ultimately enhancing the investor experience,” Rowton said.

Looking ahead, Illuminati expects public market RWAs such as Treasurys and equities to lead adoption in the short term due to liquidity and familiarity. However, he believes private markets will eventually dominate, as blockchain removes inefficiencies and unlocks hidden value.

In a report earlier this month, Boston Consulting Group and Ripple estimated that tokenized real-world assets could exceed $18 trillion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate of 53%.

Magazine: TradFi is building Ethereum L2s to tokenize trillions in RWAs — Inside story

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/centrifuge-tops-1b-tvl-as-institutions-drive-tokenized-rwa-boom-ceo/feed/ 0 53652 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-genius-act-sparks-stablecoin-boom-with-record-1-5-trillion-transaction-volume-in-july/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-genius-act-sparks-stablecoin-boom-with-record-1-5-trillion-transaction-volume-in-july/#respond Tue, 05 Aug 2025 18:08:43 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-genius-act-sparks-stablecoin-boom-with-record-1-5-trillion-transaction-volume-in-july/

The total on-chain stablecoin transaction volume surged to a new all-time high of $1.5 trillion in July, marking a significant milestone in the sector.

According to Sentora’s (formerly IntoTheBlock) data, this figure represents a sharp increase from the $1.26 trillion processed in June and surpasses the previous high seen in August 2024, when volumes topped $1.4 trillion.

Meanwhile, a closer look at the July numbers revealed that Circle’s USDC dominated the stablecoin market, accounting for nearly 50% of the total volume. USDC transactions reached approximately $748 billion in July.

Meanwhile, Tether’s USDT, the largest stablecoin by circulating supply, followed with a volume of $420 billion. The decentralized DAI stablecoin secured the third spot with $261 billion in transactions.

Why stablecoin volume rose in July

The remarkable increase in stablecoins’ on-chain volume can be attributed to several factors, including Bitcoin and Ethereum’s record performances in July.

Last month, Bitcoin price rose to a new all-time high of over $123,000 while ETH’s price also approached the $4000 threshold.

The price performance of these assets sparked significant on-chain activity from investors, who invested their profits in non-volatile digital assets like USDT and USDC.

In addition, the stablecoin industry saw the approval of its first major bill in the US, which helped clear the regulatory uncertainty in the sector.

The GENIUS Act, signed into law on July 19, established clear guidelines for stablecoins and digital asset-backed financial products. The new regulations include reserve requirements and oversight by the Federal Reserve, which are likely to foster greater trust and stability in the sector.

As a result, prominent financial institutions like JPMorgan and other top global companies like Meta have been exploring the use of stablecoins for cross-border transactions and other financial services, which further legitimizes the market.

With this clearer regulatory backdrop and surging adoption, stablecoin market capitalization has climbed past $278 billion, according to CryptoSlate’s data.

Mentioned in this article

A volatile macroeconomic landscape has sparked a new gold rush among institutional investors and central banks, with gold bullion hitting record highs this year — a trend that has also extended to Tether’s gold-backed digital token.

By the end of the second quarter, Tether Gold (XAUt) — a tokenized commodity offering direct exposure to physical bullion — was backed by 7.66 tons of fine troy ounces of gold, according to the company’s latest attestation report, verified by BDO Italia.

This reserve supports over 259,000 XAUt tokens in circulation, giving the asset a total market capitalization exceeding $800 million.

The price of Tether Gold closely tracks the market value of physical gold, which is trading just below $3,400 per troy ounce. XAUt effectively brings gold onto the blockchain, combining the timeless appeal of the yellow metal with the portability, divisibility and redeemability features commonly associated with Bitcoin (BTC).

Over the past 12 months, XAUt’s price has surged by 40%, mirroring the performance of spot gold, according to Bloomberg data.

Tether Gold, which launched in January 2020, is available for trading on several major crypto exchanges, including Bybit, Bitfinex, BingX and KuCoin. The token recently expanded its presence to Thailand through the Maxbit cryptocurrency exchange.

As Cointelegraph reported, Tether’s liquidity network, USDT0, recently introduced an omnichain version of XAUt on The Open Network (TON).

Related: Robert Kiyosaki warns of the risk posed by BTC, gold and silver ETFs

Gold demand gains momentum amid macroeconomic and geopolitical turbulence

While crypto investors have long touted Bitcoin as “digital gold,” offering similar qualities to bullion with added portability and digital-native features, physical gold remains the ultimate safe-haven asset during times of uncertainty.

According to the World Gold Council (WGC), global central banks accumulated over 1,000 metric tons of bullion in 2024, marking the third consecutive year surpassing that milestone. The Council also noted that the vast majority of central bankers expect bullion reserves to continue rising over the next 12 months.

“This is not normal,” wrote Christopher Gannatti, global head of research at WisdomTree, commenting on the rapid pace of gold accumulation by monetary authorities. “For decades, central banks were net sellers of gold. Now they’re stockpiling it again.”

“In a world of rising geopolitical risk and currency weaponization, gold is one of the few assets that travels well across borders and regimes,” Gannatti added.

Institutional investors have followed suit, pouring billions into gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the second half of 2024.

This momentum has carried into 2025, with the first half of the year witnessing the largest gold ETF inflows in five years, according to WGC data. Gold ETFs recorded $38 billion in inflows during the first six months, increasing collective holdings by 397.1 metric tons of physical bullion.

The surge in demand has been driven by escalating geopolitical and economic concerns, including US President Donald Trump’s trade war, which has amplified fears of economic instability and a potential recession.

Economist Peter Schiff has also highlighted persistent inflation risks as a key driver of gold’s appeal. Inflationary pressures have resurfaced in the United States, with the Federal Reserve expecting price increases to accelerate in the second half of the year as tariffs push costs higher for producers and consumers.

This outlook has prompted a cautious stance on monetary policy. Morningstar’s senior US economist, Preston Caldwell, noted that he has “delayed expectations of rate cuts” in light of these inflationary trends.

Related: Despite record high, S&P 500 is down in Bitcoin terms

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/tether-gold-rides-bullion-boom-as-central-banks-etfs-rush-to-accumulate/feed/ 0 49986 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bitwise-cio-declares-four-year-crypto-cycle-is-dead-is-a-steady-record-breaking-boom-next/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bitwise-cio-declares-four-year-crypto-cycle-is-dead-is-a-steady-record-breaking-boom-next/#respond Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:07:37 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bitwise-cio-declares-four-year-crypto-cycle-is-dead-is-a-steady-record-breaking-boom-next/

Journalist

Hassan Shittu

Journalist

Hassan Shittu

About Author

Hassan, a Cryptonews.com journalist with 6+ years of experience in Web3 journalism, brings deep knowledge across Crypto, Web3 Gaming, NFTs, and Play-to-Earn sectors. His work has appeared in…

Share

Last updated: 

July 25, 2025

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan says the long-observed four-year crypto cycle may no longer apply to the current market.

In a recent discussion with Bitcoin advocate Kyle Chassé and Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart, Hougan argued that the historical pattern is breaking down, and a longer, more sustained growth phase could be on the horizon.

Traditionally, crypto markets have followed a four-year rhythm driven by Bitcoin’s halving events, shifting interest rates, and the cyclical blow-ups that have rattled the industry. But Hougan believes these drivers are now losing influence.

Matt Hougan Predicts ‘Sustained Boom’ for Crypto as Traditional Cycles Fade

In a follow-up post on X, Hougan pointed to the diminishing impact of the Bitcoin halving, noting that each one has half the effect of the last. “The halving is half as important every four years,” he said.

The rationale is simple: as block rewards diminish in absolute terms, their effect on overall market supply shrinks relative to the growing scale of the crypto economy. As such, halvings no longer serve as the singular driving force behind bullish market cycles.

He also noted how interest rate cycles, once a severe headwind for crypto in downturns like 2018 and 2022, are now acting as tailwinds, buoyed by a more stable and accommodative macro environment.

Hougan further emphasized that the risk of blowups, which had once controlled cycles in the crypto space, has been greatly reduced due to the shift to improved regulation and growing institutional involvement.

In place of the old cycle, Hougan sees new forces taking hold, ones that move on longer timelines and aren’t tied to halving years.

At the top of the list is the growing inflow of capital into crypto-related ETFs. That wave, which started in 2024, is just beginning, he said, and could last five to ten years.

Institutional adoption is another key trend. Hougan said pensions, endowments, and national account platforms are only starting to embrace crypto exposure. He expects that trend to accelerate as more crypto ETFs win approval.

He also pointed to progress on the regulatory front. In his view, January 2025 marked the beginning of a new era of policymaking for the industry. Hougan cited the passage of the GENIUS Act earlier this month as a major shift.

The legislation has opened the door for Wall Street to begin building financial products around crypto, he said, predicting that banks will invest billions over the coming years.

In his post, Hougan added that new developments such as the rise of crypto treasury firms holding Bitcoin on their balance sheets are shaping a different kind of cycle. He believes these emerging patterns won’t follow the sharp booms and busts of the past.

“I think it’s more of a sustained steady boom than a supercycle,” Hougan wrote. “The long-term pro-crypto forces will overwhelm the classic four-year cycle forces.”

Looking ahead, he believes 2026 will be a strong year for crypto, although he warned that volatility is still expected.

Bitwise CIO Sees Bitcoin on Path to $1M Amid Policy Shifts and Growing Institutional Support

This is not the first time Hougan has believed that Bitcoin has entered a new phase of institutional adoption, marked by major shifts in finance and policy.

On December 13, 2024, Hougan pointed to several key developments signaling this shift: BlackRock’s suggested 2% portfolio allocation to Bitcoin, the rapid uptake of spot Bitcoin ETFs, and growing public support from financial leaders like Ray Dalio.

He also noted the increasing political acceptance of crypto, noting President Donald Trump’s vocal backing of Bitcoin and his appearance at a major industry event.

Forward to this year, Hougan predicted Bitcoin could reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, driven by demand from sovereign wealth funds, public companies, and institutional investors.

“The final barrier fell when governments became holders,” he said. “Bitcoin’s survival was no longer in doubt; growth became the focus.”

Hougan maintains that Bitcoin is now in a new phase, less speculative and more institutional and structural.

Bank of America’s chief investment officer views stock market dips and several sectors as prime buying opportunities, despite record market highs.

In a new interview on CNBC’s Closing Bell, Chris Hyzy says the explosion of spending on AI represents a boom that will boost the markets for years to come.

“If you look out over the next six or seven years and we just kind of pause for a second in the next week or two weeks, the greatest capex boom that we are going to witness is yet to come.

We’ve got trillions yet to go. There’s billions that have been deployed in terms of what has been announced but in terms of actual input into the actual infrastructure, the digital infrastructure space, it’s just beginning.”

Hyzy says that amid the long-term bullish market conditions, certain sectors still offer investors potential bargain buys.

“Weakness in financials, industrials, utilities, information technology, those areas are buying opportunities even though we’re at all-time highs…

In our opinion, you could potentially be looking at another double in the S&P, which is not a lot of heavy lifting because that matches the return that we’ve seen in markets over the last six, seven, eight decades.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram

Don’t Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Check Price Action

Surf The Daily Hodl Mix

&nbsp

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: Midjourney

Bitcoin has outpaced traditional benchmarks since 2020, registering gains exceeding 1,500%, while gold advanced roughly 115% and the U.S. Dollar Index remained nearly flat.

The divergence in asset performance reflects a period of monetary expansion, persistent inflation concerns, and evolving perceptions of scarce, non-sovereign assets as institutional investors and sovereign entities re-evaluate reserves and portfolio allocations.

Bitcoin climbed from price levels near $7,700 in early 2020 to intraday highs around $123,164 today, driven partly by a weak dollar and spot exchange-traded funds in the United States that removed barriers to institutional participation.

As BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust exceeded 700,000 BTC in holdings and surpassed $88 billion in assets under management, the asset class has been increasingly woven into regulated investment products. Institutional access is regarded as creating a price floor while mitigating the volatility traditionally associated with digital assets.

Gold’s upward trajectory continued through the same period, rising from around $1,550 per ounce to over $3,300, as geopolitical tensions and inflation protection strategies preserved demand for physical assets.

Meanwhile, the dollar’s relative value against other currencies remains flat after substantial volatility. Still, its purchasing power has eroded by an estimated 20% cumulatively from 2020 to 2025 due to inflation, according to data from U.S. government sources and CPI indexes.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic policy responses in 2020 fueled an expansion of monetary supply and fiscal interventions unprecedented in modern history, prompting market participants to seek stores of value beyond fiat.

We are now walking the path toward Hyperbitcoinization

Bitcoin’s fixed supply and decentralized nature positioned it as both a speculative vehicle and a potential hedge, capturing capital from investors diversifying away from sovereign currency exposure.

Bitcoin’s acceleration has led many to explore the thesis of Hyperbitcoinization, where it might replace fiat currencies as a primary medium of exchange and store of value. While the prevailing analyses maintain this scenario remains improbable in the near term, today’s environment mirrors how fiat currencies’ fall would start.

Bitcoin has become a macro asset comparable to gold rather than an imminent replacement for the dollar. Regulatory frameworks, taxation requirements mandating fiat settlement, and the economic risk of deflation inherent in fixed-supply monetary systems remain substantial hurdles to Bitcoin fully supplanting traditional currencies.

Institutions and governments have nonetheless integrated Bitcoin into treasury strategies. As CryptoSlate has reported, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi disclosed a $439 million position in Bitcoin ETFs. In the United States, President Trump signed an executive order initiating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, signaling official sector interest in holding Bitcoin alongside traditional reserves.

Further complicating the outlook, U.S. trade policy in 2025 has introduced tariffs on major trading partners, contributing to inflationary pressures and leading to a decline of around 10% in the dollar index year-to-date. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink cautioned in public statements that persistent fiscal deficits and the risk of dollar debasement could elevate digital assets like Bitcoin as alternatives, reflecting sentiment from parts of the financial establishment that Bitcoin’s role is shifting from speculative asset to strategic reserve.

Currently, the total US debt stands at $37 trillion and rising, while the dollar is in a precarious position.

Surging institutional adoption has coincided with declining evidence of grassroots activity. On-chain throughput broke above 500,000 transfers a day several times in 2025, though Lightning Network capacity has remained relatively flat around 5,000 BTC since mid-2022.

However, the past few months have seen a drop in capacity to around 4,300 BTC, according to mempool.space.

Transfers below $1,000 do make up more than half of the total on-chain Bitcoin volume, pointing to peer-to-peer settlement rather than exchange consolidation.

Those metrics, paired with ETF inflows, corporate treasury adoption, Abu Dhabi’s allocation, and the U.S. strategic reserve order, create a picture that matches the early stage of Hyperbitcoinization: fiat dilution, a stronger Bitcoin price, and the first migration of day-to-day transactions onto a rival monetary rail. Further, the Lightning Network is not the only way to move Bitcoin on-chain cheaply, numerous layer-1s host forms of wrapped Bitcoin which are used regularly across multiple chains.

If throughput on Lightning and other layers widens further, the framework for mass transactional adoption will be in place, and Bitcoin’s role will move from balance-sheet hedge to usable money.

That transition is underway, but the focus remains on acquiring Bitcoin rather than integrating Bitcoin as a technological tool to revolutionize TradFi.

Still, if the corporate world relies on Bitcoin for its store of value, placing that value in Lightning Channels to earn yield or staking it to secure other blockchains becomes an enticing offer.

From there, using Bitcoin to secure critical infrastructure and building tech stacks around Bitcoin’s immutable global timestamping service is a logical next step.

At that point, Bitcoin becomes not only the best store of value but the catalyst to secure and integrate that value into the entire digital world.

Mentioned in this article