Tether Juventus Bid: USDT Issuer Seeks Full Takeover, Invest $1B in Football Club
ReadTether, the crypto firm behind the world's largest stablecoin, USDT USDT $ 1.0002, is aiming to acquire popular Italian football club Juventus FC, boosting its minority stake to 100%.The firm said Friday that it has submitted a binding proposal for majority shareholder Exor's 65.4% stake in the club in an all-cash offer, according to a Friday blog post. If that deal goes through, Tether intends to make a public tender offer for the club's remaining shares at the same price. Juventus FC SpA is a publicly-traded company, with a market capitalization of $925 million at Friday's closing price.STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy .Tether said it's "prepared" to invest $1 billion in the club if the transaction is completed."Our interest in Juventus comes from deep admiration and respect," Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, a lifelong fan of the team, said in a statement. "Tether is in a position of strong financial health and intends to support Juventus with stable capital and a long horizon."The bid comes as Tether is expanding beyond its crypto roots, investing in artifician intelligence, payments, robotics and even sports. Its flagship token, the $188 billion USDT, is the dominant token in the fast-growing stablecoin sector and increasingly popular as a payments and savings vehicle in emerging countries. The company said its net profits surpassed $10 billion in the first nine months of the year, mostly from the yield on the U.S. Treasury bills backing USDT. The firm also holds 116 tons of gold — a dragon's hoard that exceeds the holdings of some mid-sized nations.Tether currently holds a more than 10% stake in Juventus, but expressed its intention earlier this year to seek a more active role in the Torino, Italy-based club.The fan crypto token of Juventus, dubbed JUV (JUV), surged 30% on the news.
