Tether Shocks Football World by Becoming Juventus’ Second-Largest Shareholder

Crypto giant muscles into Serie A with surprise stake.

Tether—the stablecoin behemoth best known for printing USDT like central banks print fiat—just scored an unexpected hat-trick in traditional finance. The company quietly acquired enough shares to become the second-largest stakeholder in Italian football powerhouse Juventus.

Football meets blockchain in bold power play.

The move blurs lines between crypto and mainstream sports investing. While other clubs dabble in fan tokens, Tether bypasses gimmicks to take a direct ownership position in one of Europe's most storied franchises.

Juventus shares spike 12% on news—proving once again that in modern finance, nothing pumps a valuation like crypto money chasing legacy assets. The club now joins Bitcoin ETFs and meme stocks as another unlikely beneficiary of digital asset liquidity.

Will this be a match made in heaven? Or another case of crypto overreach? Either way—game on.

Tether CEO: Discussions with Exor are limited

In an earlier interview, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg that his communication with Juventus and its majority owner, Exor, was “very, very limited.” Per Ardoino, Tether has sent multiple letters attempting to arrange a formal meeting, but no date has been set.

Juventus has reportedly proposed deferring meetings until after the season concludes in early July. Exor, for its part, has not commented on Tether but is expected to discuss the club’s business structure once a meeting occurs, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“Our interest is in ensuring the long-term success of the club,” a Tether spokesperson said. “We believe having a voice in decisions is part of fulfilling that responsibility.”

The lack of engagement from Juventus appears to have frustrated the crypto executive. Ardoino said that at one point, he had to buy his own match ticket to attend a game this season. 

The club, which floated 35% of its shares to the public in 2001, said in March that it is looking to raise capital of up to €100 million to fund summer player acquisitions. Exor has already agreed to provide €15 million upfront and pledged to maintain its 65.4% stake.

Questions over USDT’s illegal usage

In the eyes of Juventus board members, Tether is a crypto-native firm with an “opaque corporate structure,” much similar to Juventus’ century-old governance model. 

A 2023 United Nations report listed Tether’s stablecoin USDT as a currency for illicit finance, estimating $19.3 billion in criminal transactions involving the token last year. American officials argue that it is also used in sanctions evasion and conflict financing. 

Tether, for its part, insists it works closely with law enforcement agencies to counter misuse and claims to have helped freeze assets worth millions of dollars, which are suspected to originate from illegal operations.

According to company records, the firm made a profit of $13 billion in 2024, with $115 billion in US Treasury holdings supporting its $150 billion portfolio. The liquidity was supposedly used to purchase a 30% stake in Italian media company Be Water and projects in social media, agricultural infrastructure, and brain technology.

Like many popular football clubs, Juventus has been operating at a financial loss and needs fresh capital. According to Bloomberg consensus estimates, it is projected to post an €18 million deficit in its upcoming annual report. Juventus has not won Italy’s Serie A title in five years.

Ardoino believes Tether’s technological resources could help solve Juventus’ problems. 

“The Italian football ecosystem is still very rooted in tradition,” Ardoino said. “But it’s kind of unfortunate because the rest of the world can see Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG. They are more open to a new way to look at sports like a brand.”

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