Tether Makes Power Play: USDT Issuer Eyes Juventus Takeover, Seeks Up to $20B in Fresh Capital

Tether isn't just printing stablecoins anymore—it's printing ambition. The company behind the world's largest dollar-pegged digital asset is making a stunning move into European football, targeting a takeover of iconic Italian club Juventus.

From Crypto Pitch to Football Pitch

The playbook is simple, yet audacious. Tether plans to leverage its massive reserves and market dominance to fund the acquisition. This isn't a sponsorship deal or a patch on a jersey; it's a full-scale acquisition bid that would place a crypto giant at the helm of a historic sporting institution.

The $20 Billion Capital Call

To fuel this and other strategic expansions, Tether is reportedly seeking a staggering sum in fresh capital—up to $20 billion. The move signals a dramatic shift from being a passive infrastructure provider to an aggressive, diversified investment vehicle. It's a bet that the company's operational profits and credibility can attract traditional institutional money, the kind that usually scoffs at 'internet money.'

Why a Football Club? The Strategic Angle

Acquiring Juventus offers more than prestige. It provides a globally recognized brand, massive fan engagement, and tangible assets—a stark contrast to the purely digital realm of stablecoins. It's a classic diversification play, albeit one that would make any conventional CFO's spreadsheet crash. The move could bridge the gap between crypto-native users and mainstream audiences, turning every Juventus fan into a potential exposure to the Tether ecosystem.

A New Era of Crypto Conglomerates

Tether's maneuver blurs the lines between finance, technology, and now, sports entertainment. It demonstrates the sheer scale of capital accumulation within the crypto sector and a hunger to deploy it beyond digital ledgers. Other crypto giants are watching closely—this could spark a trend of high-profile, real-world acquisitions funded by digital asset profits.

The final whistle hasn't blown on this deal, and regulatory hurdles remain. But one thing is clear: Tether is playing a different game now. It's a bold attempt to buy legitimacy and influence with cold, hard cash—proving that sometimes, the most traditional move in finance is to simply buy something everyone has heard of. After all, what's a better hedge against crypto volatility than a football team that's mastered the art of the defensive play?

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, has outlined plans to acquire a controlling stake in Juventus Football Club, while also seeking fresh capital and limiting secondary share sales.

On Dec. 12, the company said it submitted a binding, all-cash proposal to Exor to acquire the holding company’s entire 65.4% stake in Juventus Football Club, one of Italy’s most storied football teams. The proposal is subject to regulatory approvals and Exor’s acceptance. If completed, Tether plans to launch a public tender offer for the remaining shares at the same price per share, fully funded with its own capital, according to the company’s statement.

Tether said it is prepared to invest up to €1 billion to support and develop the club following completion of the transaction. Juventus, founded in 1897 and based in Turin, currently competes in Serie A and is owned by the Agnelli family through Exor. Tether has previously disclosed that it already holds a minority stake in the club.

The same day, Bloomberg reported that Tether is simultaneously seeking to raise as much as $20 billion in a stock sale that could value the privately held company at around $500 billion, a level that WOULD place it among the world’s most valuable private firms.

As part of that effort, Tether has intervened to block at least one existing shareholder from selling shares at a steep discount to the targeted valuation, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

According to the report, Tether executives are exploring post-deal mechanisms to provide liquidity for investors, including share buybacks and tokenizing company shares on a blockchain. Tether confirmed to Bloomberg that it had received assurances that unauthorized shareholder sales would not proceed, saying such actions could undermine a fundraising process led by major global investment banks.

Bloomberg also reported that one unidentified shareholder had sought to sell at least $1 billion worth of shares at a valuation of about $280 billion, well below Tether’s fundraising target. The company is said not to be planning to allow existing shareholders to sell as part of the main funding round. Tether declined to comment further on its internal deliberations.