Tether Starts 2026 With an $800M Bitcoin Buy, Quietly Joins Top Holders — Here’s How Much They Hold

Key Takeaways

• On Jan. 1, 2026, Tether transferred approximately 8,888.8 BTC, worth around $778 million, to its treasury wallet as part of Q4 2025 profit allocation. 
• This purchase, confirmed by CEO Paolo Ardoino, aligns with Tether’s policy of investing 15% of its quarterly profits in Bitcoin since 2023. 
• The addition boosted Tether’s total Bitcoin holdings to over 96,000 BTC, valued at about $8.4 billion, ranking it among the top global holders. ”

While much of the crypto market entered the new year on a cautious footing, Tether wasted no time making its intentions clear.

On Jan. 1, the stablecoin giant quietly added 8,888 Bitcoin to its reserves, a nearly $800 million bet that underscores its growing role as one of Bitcoin’s largest institutional holders.

The purchase pushes Tether’s total BTC stash past 96,000 coins, cementing a strategy that has steadily expanded even as prices stall and other corporate buyers pull back.

8888 BTC: A Lucky Charm?

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed that the company accumulated exactly 8,888.8888888 BTC during the quarter, continuing its pattern of symbolic “8888” purchases.

On-chain analysts at Arkham Intelligence estimate the total Q4 spend at roughly $876 million, or about 9,850 BTC, with the difference attributed to timing and consolidation discrepancies.

The accumulation reflects a strategy formalized in May 2023, under which Tether allocates up to 15% of its realized quarterly operating profits to Bitcoin as a long-term store of value and reserve diversification tool.

While Tether held Bitcoin prior to that announcement, the policy marked a shift toward systematic, ongoing accumulation.

The latest purchase comes as crypto markets cool, with Bitcoin trading below $90,000 after strong gains earlier in 2025.

Even so, Tether’s average acquisition cost is estimated at around $51,100 per BTC, leaving the company with more than $3.5 billion in unrealized profits as of early 2026.

Tether typically builds its Bitcoin position gradually throughout each quarter, often through Bitfinex withdrawals, before consolidating funds into its main reserve wallet near quarter-end or shortly after.

Top Treasuries Keep Buying, Even as the Trend Cools

Corporate adoption of Bitcoin as a treasury asset surged early in 2025 but lost momentum as the year wore on.

New adopters fell from around 53 in the third quarter to just nine in Q4, with November seeing as few as three new entrants.

By year-end, an estimated 117 to 145 public companies and institutions held Bitcoin on their balance sheets.

Collectively, those firms control roughly 1.5 million BTC, worth between $90 billion and $150 billion at current prices.

The slowdown reflects a mix of challenges, including heightened market volatility, elevated Bitcoin prices that increase the cost of entry, shrinking equity premiums as treasury firms trade closer to—or even below—the value of their BTC holdings, and growing competition from spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Some weaker players have also been forced to scale back or exit their positions altogether.

Even so, leading Bitcoin treasury firms have not followed the broader retreat.

Longtime accumulators, such as Strategy and Tether, continue to add to their holdings, even as Bitcoin trades within a relatively narrow range.

Strategy remains the clear outlier.

The company treats Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset and now holds 672,497 BTC, which is more than 3.2% of the total supply.

It has spent over $50 billion building that position at an average cost of roughly $75,000 per coin.

Despite recent price pullbacks, the strategy shows no signs of slowing.

CEO Michael Saylor has repeatedly framed Bitcoin as a superior alternative to holding cash, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to accumulation