Tether CEO slams S&P ratings agency and Influencers spreading USDt FUD

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino strongly refuted S&P Global's recent downgrade of USDt's ability to maintain its US dollar peg, labeling it the lowest score on their scale. Ardoino argued that S&P failed to consider Tether's total assets of about $215 billion (as of Q3 2025) against $184.5 billion in stablecoin liabilities, which left about $7 billion in excess equity plus $23 billion in retained earnings. He further noted that S&P ignored the roughly $500 million in monthly base profits from US Treasury yields alone. The downgrade prompted concern among some analysts, including Arthur Hayes, who speculated Tether is buying gold and BTC to offset falling Treasury yield income, warning that a 30% drop in those reserves could cause insolvency. However, Joseph Ayoub, former Citi analyst, defended Tether, stating it has excess assets, a highly profitable business generating billions in interest income with minimal staff, and is better collateralized than traditional banks.

(Source：Cointelegraph)