Tether Invests in Bitdeer to Bolster Its Portfolio and Support Bitcoin Mining

In a strategic move to bolster its investment portfolio, Tether, the operator of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, has announced a substantial investment in Bitdeer, a prominent cryptocurrency mining company.

Stablecoin issuer Tether continues to expand its footprint in the cryptocurrency industry with a strategic investment in Bitdeer, one of the world’s largest digital asset mining companies.

According to a recent SEC filing, Tether has entered into a subscription agreement to purchase up to $150 million of shares in Bitdeer, subject to certain conditions. The agreement includes an initial purchase of 18,587,360 Class A ordinary shares and a warrant to acquire up to an additional 5,000,000 shares at a price of $10.00 per share.

As of the initial closing, the private placement has generated $100 million in gross proceeds from the issuance of shares, which could increase by an additional $50 million if the warrant is fully exercised.

Bitdeer, which was spun off from Chinese mining machine manufacturer Bitmain in 2018, went public on Nasdaq in April 2023 through a merger with Blue Safari Group Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The initial announcement of the SPAC merger was made in November 2021.

Since going public, Bitdeer has reported strong financial performance, with its total revenue climbing to $368.6 million in 2023, up from $333.3 million the previous year. The company also successfully tested its internally designed bitcoin mining chip, designated as SEAL01.

In March, Jihan Wu, co-founder of Bitmain, joined Bitdeer as its CEO following his departure from Bitmain, which he left to start Bitdeer in 2020. Linghui Kong was appointed as the company’s chief business officer.

The fresh capital infusion from Tether will primarily be used to fund Bitdeer’s expansion of its data centers and the development of a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-based mining rig, among other projects.

“We are excited to have Tether join Bitdeer on our mission to lead sustainable Bitcoin mining,” said Linghui Kong, recently appointed as Chief Business Officer of Bitdeer. “This partnership will accelerate our growth and continued leadership in the large-scale sustainable bitcoin mining sector.”

“Bitdeer has established a strong presence in the cryptocurrency industry with its cutting-edge technology and significant research and development efforts,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Their operations align with Tether’s strategic goals, and we look forward to collaborating closely in key infrastructure areas.”

The market cheered the news of Tether’s investment, with Bitdeer’s stock (BTDR) showing an over 13% rise in intraday trading on the Nasdaq. This surge is indicative of investor confidence in the strategic partnership and Bitdeer’s robust financial health.

In addition to its core stablecoin operations, Tether has been expanding its business into different areas. In April, the company announced a restructuring into four divisions—Tether Data, Finance, Power, and Edu—to extend its influence across various sectors. This reorganization is part of Tether’s strategy to broaden its market impact and diversify its investments.

These efforts have coincided with a record performance by Tether. In the first quarter, the company achieved substantial profits, with its stablecoin USDT hitting a new peak in market capitalization at $111 billion. According to CCData, USDT accounted for 77% of the trading volume among the top ten stablecoins on centralized exchanges.