Original Title: "Investing in the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem: Tether is More than Just a USDT Issuer"

Original Source: Allscale

Stablecoin Giant Tether: What Are They Investing In?

Recently, stablecoin giant Tether disclosed a list of companies it has invested in using its own funds. This list includes mining and computing support companies like Bitdeer and Northern Data, as well as decentralized technology infrastructure companies like Holepunch and Synonym.

Clearly, Tether is not satisfied with merely engaging in marginally diminishing competition in the stablecoin issuance space. Instead, they are learning from the experiences of Microsoft, Apple, and Google, attempting to seize the high ground in the cross-industry cryptocurrency ecosystem through a diversified investment strategy, further consolidating the Matthew effect, and seeking growth points in cross-industry layouts and emerging markets. Tether is no longer just chasing profits from the issuance segment; it is trying to play a deeper role in the crypto world—both as a stable payment tool provider and a driver of technological innovation, even reshaping the global financial landscape.

The Stablecoin Industry: A Forest of Opportunities

The stablecoin industry is like a forest; to avoid only seeing the trees and missing the forest, it is necessary to take a bird's-eye view of the entire industry's ecological map. The upstream of the industry consists of blockchain infrastructure and analytical monitoring, providing standardized ecological components such as blockchain networks, on-chain data analysis, compliance monitoring, and risk assessment. They are like the source of living water for stablecoins. The midstream of the industry mainly consists of stablecoin issuers and liquidity & yield, which are the core of the entire industry chain's value. Tether is a stablecoin issuer in the midstream. The downstream brings us a broader and more diverse range of application scenarios, from trading to payments, from individuals to enterprises, and from DeFi to the integration of traditional finance. These companies directly serve end users and are constantly exploring new business models and application selling points.

Backward and Forward Investments: Making 1+1 Greater than 2

Although Tether Venture has invested in numerous companies, we can still analyze the strategic intentions of the investment portfolio and assess the development direction of the stablecoin industry. Let’s analyze from a strategic perspective why Tether chose these companies as investment focuses. Breaking down the 25 companies disclosed on the Tether Venture official website reveals the following classifications.

Infrastructure: The Foundation of USDT Circulation

First, blockchain infrastructure and mining (such as Bitdeer, Northern Data, Elemental Altus Royalties) are the lifeblood of the Tether ecosystem. Therefore, Tether Venture invests in these upstream infrastructure and mining companies to achieve backward integration, strengthening its control and bargaining power over upstream enterprises.

Specifically, blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum are the foundation of USDT circulation, and mining power directly determines the stability and security of these networks. By investing in mining giants like Bitdeer, Tether is essentially nurturing its own survival soil, ensuring the smooth operation of USDT in a multi-chain environment.

Northern Data's high-performance computing capabilities provide technical reserves for future blockchain expansion and data-intensive applications (such as DeFi or NFTs), and may even lay the groundwork for Tether's AI-related plans.

Elemental Altus's investment in mining rights adds a layer of security in tangible assets to the USDT ecosystem, diversifying risks while paving the way for long-term returns. Tether understands that if the underlying blockchain wavers, the status of USDT will also be precarious, so it chooses to enhance its voice and influence in the blockchain infrastructure field through backward integration, paving the way for the company's long-term development.

Compliance and Security Technology: Shaping Trust

Secondly, investments in compliance and security technology (Crystal Intelligence, Zengo) reflect Tether's dual consideration of regulatory pressure and user trust. As a company often questioned about the transparency of its reserves, Tether knows that narrating trust to users through a compliant posture is key to survival.

Crystal Intelligence's blockchain analysis tools not only help track illegal activities but also demonstrate its commitment to compliance to regulators and the public, shaping a positive industry image. This is a proactive defensive posture; no one knows when the next avalanche will come. Zengo's keyless wallet directly addresses user pain points—the complexity of private key management deters ordinary people. Through this technological innovation, Tether reduces the difficulty of using and circulating USDT, bringing it closer to the public and expanding the potential user pool. Behind this is its ambition to penetrate the mainstream market, attempting to transform stablecoins from high-end geek toys into tools for the masses.

Financial Service Companies in the Application Layer: The Capillaries of USDT

In terms of forward integration, Tether has invested in many companies in the payment and financial services sector, such as CityPay.io, Oobit, and Xrex. Tether's vitality lies not in the massive fluctuations of market value but in each payment action; this is the lifeblood of Tether USDT. The invested companies have transformed USDT from a digital asset into a daily payment tool. For example, Oobit's NFC payment almost replicates the convenience of Apple Pay, while Xrex provides cross-border payment solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. Traditional finance certainly has its shortcomings, but to break the path dependency, it must rely on changes in the last mile of payment and the transformation of the financial capillaries.

The layout in financial inclusion and emerging markets (SortedWallet, Mansa, Quantoz, Orionx) showcases Tether's global vision. SortedWallet brings crypto wallets to unbanked populations in Africa and South Asia, Mansa optimizes cross-border payments, while Quantoz and Orionx pave the way in Europe and Latin America. These regions are often blind spots for traditional financial services, with many vulnerable groups under unbanked traditional financial systems. Tether sees an opportunity: to serve billions of untouched people through low-cost, high-efficiency USDT services. This not only expands the user base but also establishes localized networks for USDT globally, similar to a retailer entering rural markets to tap into new growth points. More importantly, this wise inclusive strategy allows Tether to occupy the moral high ground in the regulatory game—"financial equality."

Decentralization: The Voice of the Era?

Why is decentralization the voice of the era? Tether answers this question perfectly with its actions.

All centralized platforms and products have their own life cycles. As centralized platforms mature, their relationships with users shift from attraction to exclusion, and their relationships with builders (developers, creators, businesses) shift from cooperation to competition. The simplest way to continue growing is to extract data from users and compete for audiences and profits with complementors. Historical examples include Microsoft vs. Netscape, Google vs. Yelp, Facebook vs. Zynga, and Twitter vs. its third-party clients. People are beginning to tire of the shackles imposed by centralized platforms and are determined to break these chains.

Investments in decentralized technologies and products (Holepunch, Synonym, Rumble) reflect Tether's foresight for the future of the internet. Holepunch's P2P communication and Synonym's Bitcoin protocol enhance USDT's censorship resistance, while Rumble's decentralized video platform resonates with Tether's philosophy of financial freedom. These technologies allow USDT to circulate without centralized servers, reducing the risk of being blocked. It's like a company investing in its own logistics system to ensure that goods can be delivered in any environment. Tether may have foreseen that regulatory pressure will intensify in the future, and decentralized infrastructure will be its survival guarantee.

Cross-Industry Diversification

Finally, cross-industry diversified investments seem to signal that Tether is declaring the future has arrived. Stablecoins have rapidly conquered the world in the past, despite some periodic setbacks.

The agricultural investment in Adecoagro may be used to explore the application of USDT in traditional agricultural supply chains, while Juventus's sports influence can promote USDT payments through a young and vibrant fan base. Blackrock Neurotech's brain-machine interface technology points to a sci-fi future—perhaps one day, you could pay with USDT using just your thoughts! The Academy of Digital Industries cultivates talent in the crypto space, injecting fresh blood into the long-term development of the crypto ecosystem. This cross-industry investment proves Tether's vision: stablecoins will penetrate traditional fields such as agriculture, entertainment, and tech education, building a financial ecosystem that seamlessly connects with the real world, which is indeed the future of humanity!

Conclusion and Outlook

Tether seems to be attempting to build a continuously growing strong investment portfolio by investing in the foundations of blockchain, addressing regulatory challenges, expanding payment applications, deepening emerging markets, strengthening decentralized technologies, and diversifying across industries. It aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem from the ground up to the end user. On the road to financial freedom, Tether is not alone.

This article is from a submission and does not represent the views of BlockBeats.

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