Tether Invests $150M in Gold.com, Expands XAU₮ Reach

Tether Investments has acquired a 12% stake in Gold.com through a $150 million transaction. The deal establishes a long-term partnership aimed at integrating Tether’s gold-backed digital asset, XAU₮, into the precious metals platform.

Tether Makes $150 Million Strategic Investment in https://t.co/wkdntYlIFB, Expanding Global Access to Tokenized and Physical Gold

Read more:https://t.co/ttkmDcS369

— Tether (@tether) February 5, 2026

The investment arrives as gold prices surpass $5,000 per ounce. Global macroeconomic uncertainty continues to drive demand for traditional safe-haven assets.

Both companies plan to explore options allowing customers to purchase physical gold using digital currencies. These include USD₮, the world’s largest stablecoin, and the newly launched USA₮, a federally regulated dollar-backed token.

CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized the strategic nature of the acquisition in a statement accompanying the announcement.

Gold has played a central role in preserving value for centuries, particularly during periods of monetary stress and geopolitical uncertainty

Ardoino said.

He added that gold exposure represents a hedge rather than a speculative trade for the company. The partnership aims to make gold as accessible and transferable as modern digital money.

Tether Emerges as Major Gold Holder

Tether Holdings now controls approximately 140 tons of gold worth $23 billion at current market prices. The company purchased more than 70 tons of bullion throughout the previous year alone.

🚨 LATEST: TETHER HOLDS 140+ TONS OF GOLD WORTH $23B, THE LARGEST KNOWN PRIVATE STOCKPILE, STORED IN A NUCLEAR BUNKER. pic.twitter.com/l9whpdKqLC

— Coinwaft (@coinwaft) January 28, 2026

We are soon becoming basically one of the biggest gold central banks in the world

Ardoino stated

The stablecoin giant’s gold reserves now exceed holdings reported by the three largest exchange-traded funds combined. This positions Tether as the largest known treasury holder outside central banks, ETFs, and private banks.

XAU₮ operates under strict 1:1 physical backing with daily transparency reports. The token is issued under El Salvador’s Digital Asset Issuance Law.

Each XAU₮ token represents one fine troy ounce of gold linked to a specific London Good Delivery bar. The company’s latest independent attestation confirms full backing by allocated physical gold held in secure vaults.

Gold-Backed Stablecoin Market Triples

The gold-backed stablecoin sector experienced explosive growth over the past 12 months. Market capitalization expanded from roughly $1.3 billion to more than $5.5 billion.

Record gold prices and rising demand for on-chain safe-haven assets fueled this expansion. XAU₮ currently accounts for more than 60% of the global gold-stablecoin market cap.

Asset managers and sovereign participants are increasingly adopting blockchain-based issuance and custody solutions. Tokenized gold is emerging as a core real-world asset class within institutional portfolios.

The Gold.com integration will extend XAU₮ beyond crypto-native markets into traditional commerce channels. Users can hold, transfer, and redeem gold digitally while maintaining direct ownership of physical bullion.

Meanwhile, the partnership remains subject to regulatory, technical, and commercial considerations. Both companies continue working toward broader collaboration on global distribution networks.

Tether Investments operates as the independent investment arm of Tether, based in El Salvador. The firm deploys capital across artificial intelligence, financial services, energy, biotechnology, and digital media sectors.

The portfolio also includes strategic stakes in commodities, remittances, and sports and entertainment industries. The investment arm supports ventures with long-term potential to improve access and efficiency in global markets.