Tether Weighs $1.16B Investment in Germany’s Neura Robotics: FT

Tether is considering a major investment in Germany’s Neura Robotics, exploring participation in a funding round worth as much as $1.16 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Key Takeaways:

• Tether is exploring a $1.16B investment in Germany’s Neura Robotics, valuing the startup as high as $11.6B.
• The stablecoin issuer has generated over $10B in profit this year and is expanding into AI, robotics, data centers, mining, and commodity lending.
• CEO Paolo Ardoino is backing decentralized AI initiatives and scaling Tether’s $1.5B commodities lending push.

The talks, cited by unnamed sources, would value the rapidly growing robotics startup at between $9.29 billion and $11.6 billion.

Tether’s Profits Surge Past $10B as Investment Push Expands

The world’s largest stablecoin issuer has been widening its investment reach as profits from issuing USDT continue to surge.

Tether generated more than $10 billion in profit in the first three quarters of this year alone, following a strong 2024.

With that cash flow, the company has spent the past year expanding into artificial intelligence, data centers, energy infrastructure, and Bitcoin mining, part of a broader strategy to diversify beyond its core business.

Neura Robotics fits neatly into that expansion push. The company is preparing to roll out its first humanoid robot, initially targeting industrial clients before moving into the consumer market.

Neura has previously said it aims to produce 5 million units by 2030 and hopes to trigger what it calls an “iPhone moment” for robotics.

Its January fundraising round brought in nearly $140 million from backers including BlueCrest, C4 Ventures, Lingotto, and Volvo Cars Tech Fund.

If the deal moves forward, Neura would find itself competing directly with Elon Musk’s Tesla, which is also racing to mass-produce general-purpose robots.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has shown growing interest in decentralized AI, backing internal research through a skunkworks unit focused on open-source, peer-to-peer machine learning under the banner “Tether AI.”

Tether is expanding aggressively into commodity trade lending, deploying around $1.5 billion in credit as it moves to compete directly with banks, Bloomberg reported.

CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company plans to scale lending across oil, cotton, wheat and other agricultural markets, offering loans in both US dollars and USDT, its stablecoin backed by Treasuries and precious metals.

Although still smaller than major banks in this sector, Tether’s nearly $200 billion in reserves gives it significant lending capacity.

Tether Could Become the World’s Most Profitable Company, Analyst Says

Tether appears unstoppable right now, with the world’s largest stablecoin issuer on track to generate approximately $15 billion this year.

Bitwise’s chief investment officer, Matt Houga, recently predicted that Tether could become the world’s most profitable company, potentially overtaking Saudi Aramco.

It’s the world’s third-largest digital asset with a market capitalization of $183.8 billion, up 50% compared to this time last year.

Although Tether maintains strong cash reserves, recent reports suggest that the company may seek $20 billion in new capital for a 3% ownership stake.

Such a transaction would establish a valuation near $500 billion, eclipsing Netflix and Samsung while approaching iconic financial services brands like Mastercard.

The firm has simultaneously expanded its precious metals holdings, with its gold reserves now exceeding $12 billion.

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