Tether Quietly Built $8B Gold Reserves in Swiss Vault to Reduce Custody Costs: Report

Stablecoin issuer Tether has built a gold vault empire worth around $8 billion, stored in a private vault in Switzerland, CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg in an interview.

The USDT issuer directly owns the vast majority of about 80 tons of gold stockpile outright. However, precious metals represent only 5% of Tether’s $112 billion reserve portfolio, per the company’s March attestation.

“We have our own vault. I believe it’s the most secure vault in the world,” Ardoino noted, declining to reveal the whereabouts of the Swiss vault due to security concerns.

USDT stablecoin reached a market cap of $159 billion last month, claiming 62.43% of the entire $255 billion stablecoin ecosystem.

The company’s gold reserves match the UBS Group’s total precious metals and commodities exposure, the report added.

Tether Gold Reserves Signals Pivot From Pure Fiat Exposure

In Ardoino’s books, gold’s safe-haven status helps buffer against fiat or regulatory turbulence. He said that the precious metal is a safer asset than any national currency.

“Eventually, I think that if people start to get concerned about the potential increase of the debt of the US, they might look at alternatives,” he told Bloomberg.

Further, the recent surge in gold prices is fueled by central bank buying and a return of investor interest in gold ETFs, according to a report from J.P. Morgan.

“Every single central bank in the BRICS countries is buying gold,” Ardoino added.

Gold Reserves Could Lower Custody Costs

Tether has been widely known for its association with gold, launching a gold-based token, Tether Gold, that recently showed stable gains.

According to Ardoino, the company’s decision to own its own gold vault is due to the high costs that precious metal vault operators charge.

If Tether’s gold token were to grow to $100 billion in circulation, “it’s a lot of money to pay 50 basis points,” said Ardoino.

“If you have your own vault, eventually with the size, it gets much cheaper to do custody.”