- Tether’s undisclosed mining capacity complicates market position assessments as it builds new infrastructure across Latin America’s 15 facilities.
- Tether leverages regional partnerships in El Salvador, Uruguay, and Paraguay to access low-cost energy and favorable regulatory frameworks.
On Tuesday, Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CTO, laid out a plan to broaden the company’s reach into Bitcoin mining.
Tether has steered as much as $10 billion into digital assets. Moreover, Ardoino explained that the firm will back mining operations to help secure the Bitcoin network. He said that buying Bitcoin outright would yield higher returns. However, the company chose mining to strengthen network protection.
Meanwhile, the mining field already hosts major players such as Marathon Digital, Riot Platforms and CleanSpark. Those firms control roughly 30 percent of the total hashrate. Yet Tether has not disclosed its own mining capacity. That gap makes it hard to gauge how quickly the company can rise to the top.
Still, Tether has invested heavily in mining infrastructure. The firm reports ties with more than 15 facilities across El Salvador, Uruguay and Paraguay. Those partnerships may give Tether a solid foothold in regions with low electricity costs and supportive regulations.
Therefore, Ardoino forecasts that by year-end, Tether will rank as the largest Bitcoin miner. He argues that this move will protect the firm’s existing exposure and reinforce its role as a guardian of the network. Investors will watch mining numbers closely as the industry enters its next phase.
Tether Freezes 112 USDT Wallets to Curb Iran-Linked Flows
Cryptadamist, an on-chain analyst, first flagged the action. He showed that the top 40 frozen wallets sit on Tron. Moreover, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, guides users to sidestep sanctions by routing USDT through middleman addresses.
However, the timing drew extra notice. Four major wallets were blocked two days after Tether, Coinbase and OKX seized a fraud-linked address. Thus, observers link the freeze specifically to Iran-related transactions rather than general fraud.
Meanwhile, on-chain data shows a sudden dip in Iran’s Bitcoin mining output. Given the country’s state-backed mining farms, some see a connection between the wallet freezes and wider network security concerns.
Furthermore, critics point out Tether’s past tolerance of Iranian money flows. They note that Tron remains the main highway for USDT in Iran. They also question founder Justin Sun’s recent ties to U.S. political figures, including former President Trump.
