E143: USDT Founder: Bitcoin, Gold, Stablecoin, & Tether, the Most Profitable Company in the World
E143: USDT Founder: Bitcoin, Gold, Stablecoin, & Tether, the Most Profitable Company in the World
Podcast34 min 42 sec
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Tether's strategy of holding Bitcoin as a core treasury reserve asset provides a strong bullish signal, validating its role as 'digital gold' for long-term investors. For portfolio diversification against economic uncertainty, consider holding both Gold and Bitcoin, mirroring the strategy of major crypto-native companies. A potential long-term value play is Juventus Football Club (JUVE.MI), which is viewed as an undervalued brand with significant turnaround potential. Tether's recent 10% stake is a key catalyst aimed at modernizing the club's business and unlocking value from its global fanbase. Conversely, investors should exercise caution with speculative meme coins, which are viewed by industry leaders as distractions lacking real-world utility.

Detailed Analysis

Bitcoin (BTC)

  • The CEO of Tether, Paolo Ardueno, stated that the company invests a portion of its massive profits into "safe assets like Bitcoin."
  • This is a core part of Tether's treasury management strategy, where it uses its profits to acquire assets that can provide stability and act as a hedge against global economic uncertainty.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Signal: This is a strong vote of confidence in Bitcoin. One of the most profitable and systemically important companies in the crypto industry is treating Bitcoin as a primary treasury reserve asset, similar to how traditional corporations hold cash reserves or gold.
  • Validates "Digital Gold" Narrative: Tether's action reinforces the investment thesis that Bitcoin acts as a "digital gold"—a store of value that is resilient in times of instability.
  • Institutional Adoption: For investors, this serves as a powerful example of institutional adoption. When a major financial player allocates capital to Bitcoin for its corporate treasury, it signals belief in its long-term value and staying power.

Gold

  • Gold was mentioned in the same context as Bitcoin, as a "safe asset" that Tether actively invests its profits into.
  • This demonstrates a strategy of holding both traditional and digital safe-haven assets within its corporate treasury.

Takeaways

  • Blended Treasury Strategy: The key insight is that even a cutting-edge, crypto-native company like Tether sees value in a blended approach, combining traditional finance's ultimate safe-haven asset (Gold) with the leading digital one (Bitcoin).
  • Portfolio Diversification: This reinforces the classic investment principle of diversification. For investors, it suggests that a robust portfolio designed to weather economic uncertainty could benefit from holding both Gold and Bitcoin.

Juventus Football Club (JUVE.MI)

  • Tether has made a significant investment in the Italian football club, now owning 10% of the company.
  • The CEO explained the investment thesis is not just about passion for the team, but a strategic business play. He believes the Italian football industry is "old and outdated" and that Juventus is not fully capitalizing on its "hundreds of millions of fans all around the world."
  • The goal is to help modernize the club and improve its ability to engage with and monetize its global fanbase, similar to what other major European clubs have done.

Takeaways

  • Value Investment / Turnaround Play: This is a long-term value investment. Tether sees Juventus as an under-managed asset with significant untapped potential. Their involvement could act as a catalyst for change and modernization.
  • Focus on Business, Not Just Sport: Investors should view JUVE.MI not just through the lens of its on-field performance, but as a global media and entertainment brand. The investment thesis is about unlocking the business value of its massive fanbase.
  • Catalyst for Growth: Tether's influence and desire to make the club more "forward-looking and international" could lead to new revenue streams and improved profitability if the strategy is successful.

Investment Theme: Stablecoins

  • The discussion highlighted that the most important use case for stablecoins is not crypto trading, but providing financial services to the 3 billion people globally who lack access to stable banking.
  • Stablecoins are particularly life-changing in countries with high inflation, such as Turkey, Nigeria, and Argentina. They provide a massive upgrade in financial efficiency, from 5% to over 60%.
  • A key statistic was shared: 67% of transactions involving USDT are for USDT alone, suggesting people are using it simply as a digital dollar for savings and payments. In contrast, 80% of transactions with other stablecoins also involve other crypto assets, suggesting they are used more for trading and speculation.

Takeaways

  • Focus on Real-World Utility: The true, long-term growth story for the stablecoin sector is its adoption in emerging markets for real-world use cases. This creates a durable, non-speculative demand.
  • Market Opportunity: The massive, underserved market in developing nations represents a significant and sustainable growth vector for the entire stablecoin ecosystem.
  • Differentiated Use Cases: When evaluating stablecoins, it's important to understand their primary use case. Those with deep integration into real-world payment and savings systems may have a more stable, long-term foundation than those used primarily for speculative trading in DeFi.

Investment Theme: Meme Coins

  • The CEO of Tether expressed a clearly bearish and dismissive sentiment towards meme coins, using "dog with hats" as an example.
  • He believes the hype around these assets has caused blockchain developers to focus on the "wrong incentives" (short-term hype) instead of building products with real-world, long-term utility.

Takeaways

  • Cautionary Signal: This is a strong warning from a key industry builder. The meme coin phenomenon is viewed as a distraction from the core mission of creating valuable and lasting technology.
  • Utility vs. Speculation: Investors should differentiate between projects building tangible utility and purely speculative assets like most meme coins. While meme coins can offer short-term gains, their long-term value is highly questionable according to this perspective.
  • Risk Assessment: This insight encourages a risk-aware approach. The capital and developer talent flowing into meme coins could be seen as a sign of market froth, and investors should be cautious about being drawn into assets without a clear use case.
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Episode Description
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether and CTO of Bitfinex, reveals how he built one of the most profitable companies in history - generating approximately $100 million in profit per employee. Tether created USDT, the world's most-used stablecoin, providing financial access to 3 billion unbanked people in countries facing extreme inflation and financial instability.  THE SHIFT NEWSLETTER 💡Go beyond the mic - subscribe to The Shift, my new weekly newsletter where I share the uncut stories, raw takes, and behind-the-scenes notes from When Shift Happens: https://www.kevinfollonier.com/crypto-web3-newsletter __________________________________ PARTNERS 🚀 Jupiter is the most used Decentralized Exchange in Crypto and the largest DEX by volume on Solana: https://jup.ag/ 🅿️  Paradex is building the future of open finance with an intuitive, permissionless trading platform that puts users in full control of their assets while delivering the lowest costs, fastest execution, and access to vast markets - all in one place. The Money Badgers Genesis NFT collection drops in Q4. Spots are limited - get yours now 👉 https://app.paradex.trade/wl/resilientrogueqv 💳 KAST is a global financial platform that enables users to manage and spend stablecoins and cryptocurrencies using a Visa Card or Apple Pay. Available in over 100 countries: https://go.kast.xyz/VqVO/SHIFT 🔓 Trezor is the safest cold storage wallets for crypto security and financial independence. Buy your Trezor Wallet (use PROMO Code from the video for a 10% discount): https://trezor.io/?transaction_id=1026f18ed46409e495c6db4bff90ab&offer_id=133&affiliate_id=35356 🌱 Bitwise Asset Management is the crypto specialist asset manager with more than $15 billion client assets and more than 30 crypto solutions across ETFs, index funds, alpha strategies, staking, and more. https://bitwiseinvestments.com/ 💧Sui is a first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed to make digital asset ownership fast, private, secure, and accessible. https://sui.io/ ★ Forza! is Coinsilium's Gibraltar-based Bitcoin treasury company. Coinsilium’s shares are traded on the Aquis Stock Exchange (AQUIS:COIN) and on the OTCQB in the US (OTCQB:CINGF).  Find out more at https://www.coinsilium.com/ 🔘 Mantle Network enhances dApp development with Ethereum's security, low fees, and quick transactions through innovative layer-2 technology. Users can stake ETH for mETH, contributing to a transparent, community-driven ecosystem governed by $MNT token holders, fostering innovation and collaboration. https://www.mantle.xyz Follow Paolo Ardoino • Twitter: https://x.com/paoloardoino • Twitter: https://x.com/tether_to • Website: https://tether.to/ FOLLOW KEVIN & WHEN SHIFT HAPPENS👇 Twitter (X): https://x.com/KevinWSHPod   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kevinfollonier_  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinfollonier_ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfollonier/ Website: https://kevinfollonier.com/ DISCLAIMER The info contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The content of this video is solely the opinions of the speakers who are not a licensed financial advisor or registered investment advisor. Trading cryptocurrencies poses considerable risk of loss. The speakers do not guarantee any particular outcome. #Entrepreneurship #crypto  0:00 - Introduction 1:36 - Please Subscribe 2:02 - Don’t Sleep Much 3:20 - What Is Your Mission 5:09 - Tether A Stable Company 8:58 - Chip On The Shoulder 11:17 - Started Coding At 8? 13:32 - Our Trusted Partners 14:24 - Coding Unlocking Endless Possibilities 15:54 - Stable Coin Explained To Mom 17:02 - Why Are Stable Coins Important 20:09 - Most Profitable Business Per Employee 21:45 - Our Valued Sponsors 22:59 - What’ll You Do With $20B 25:57 - Do You Have Time To Watch Movies 27:10 - Why Invest In Plasma 30:52 - Why Invest In A Football Club
About When Shift Happens Podcast
When Shift Happens Podcast

When Shift Happens Podcast

By Kevin Follonier

I sit down every week with the most based people in crypto. My goal is to create a safe space to have the deepest and most real conversations with the biggest builders and investors in the industry, as well as to help educate the mainstream people, politicians, celebrities and big Web2 entrepreneurs coming into Web3. Hopefully this platform does its little part in onboarding as many people as possible into the incredible world of opportunities that Web 3 offers, while staying true to crypto’s core values and ethos. Thank you for watching.