Tether posted record $2.85B profit in Q4, driven by T-bills

Tether Holdings Limited, the company behind the stablecoin Tether ( USDT ), has generated “a record-breaking net profit” in the last quarter of 2023, driven by Treasury interest and a strong performance from other assets. 

According to Tether’s attestation report on Jan. 31, the company recorded a net profit of $2.85 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, including up to $1 billion in net interest from United States Treasury securities. Gold and Bitcoin ( BTC ) reserves contributed to the remaining balance.

An analysis from Zippia  shows Tether employs 125 people, bringing the net profit per employee to $22.8 million in the last quarter.

For the year, Tether disclosed a total net profit of $6.2 billion, with $4 billion being generated by U.S. Treasury bonds and other non-crypto investments. Total assets under management for Tether include $80.3 billion in U.S. Treasurys, $2.8 billion in BTC, $3.5 billion in gold and $1.5 billion in venture capital investments.

Treasurys are debt securities issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to finance government spending. The yield on a Treasury is essentially the return that investors receive for lending money to the government. In December 2023, the yield for the one-year U.S. Treasury bill was 4.7%. Backed by the U.S. government, Treasurys are considered among the safest investments in the world.

Since 2022, when many crypto firms filed for bankruptcy and contagion fear gripped the sector, Tether has moved to back its stablecoin with higher-quality assets, such as T-bills and gold reserves. In September 2023, the company  claimed to be among the world’s top buyers of U.S. Treasury bills.

The stablecoin issuer is said to have accumulated $5.4 billion in excess reserves in 2023, covering the outstanding $4.8 billion in secured loans, as a response to the community’s concerns about its supposed portfolio risk.

“Tether is proud to announce that it has achieved its goal of removing the risk of secured loans from the token reserves. While such secured loans are widely overcollateralized,” the company said in the statement. BDO Global reviewed Tether’s financials.

Tether is viewed as one of the winners of the last crypto winter. The company consolidated its market share in 2023, with USDT tokens representing more than 70% of all stablecoins in circulation.

The company recently  announced the onboarding of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to its platform as part of collaboration efforts with law enforcement to monitor and curb illegal activities.

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