USDT issuer Tether has made a move into the agriculture sector with a $100 million investment in Adecoagro, a South American agricultural firm.
This marks its first venture into the agriculture and food industry, expanding its investment portfolio beyond its previous focus areas of technology and digital assets.
Tether Acquires 9.8% Stake in Adecoagro
In a recent filing, the company revealed it had acquired a 9.8% stake in Adecoagro, amounting to slightly more than 10 million shares of its outstanding common stock. The filing also shows that Tether used funds from its revenues for the investment.
This represents a strategic shift for the blockchain company, which has previously concentrated on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, peer-to-peer platforms, Bitcoin mining, and digital education initiatives.
Founded in 2002, Adecoagro is a key player in the Latin American agriculture sector. The company, headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known for its substantial milk production capabilities, processing more than half a million liters per day at its plant.
Balanced Crypto Regulation
In another development, Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether Holdings, recently appeared on Bloomberg TV’s “Bloomberg Markets” with Scarlet Fu to discuss the significance of the upcoming U.S. elections for the crypto industry and to highlight Tether’s latest product, Allow by Tether.
When asked whether the company prioritizes reducing government regulation, as Trump proposes, or implementing safeguards for the crypto industry, as Kamala Harris suggests, he stressed the need for a balanced approach that includes both reduced barriers and effective protections.
He also noted that the “cryptocurrency industry in the U.S. has not been very well supported until recently,” adding that the continent, traditionally a leader in technological innovation, has not fully embraced the ‘powerful technology.’
Ardoino also mentioned Allow by Tether, a platform that allows for the development of tethered assets that track the price of reference commodities by over-collateralizing them with liquid instruments.
One of the first tokens coming from the platform is a new synthetic dollar backed by gold, launched in June 2024. According to Ardoino, this product is designed to provide users with a stable and transparent alternative, responding to customer demand for assets that are less volatile than Bitcoin.
The company also recently announced the launch of a new stablecoin pegged to the United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) in collaboration with UAE-based partners.
Meanwhile, CoinGecko data shows that Tether’s USDT remains the largest stablecoin with a market capitalization of over $118 billion.