Bloomberg: Tether is seeking to boost its valuation to $500 billion, becoming one of the world's most highly valued private companies

March 13th — Per Bloomberg, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has named the U.S. central to the firm’s expansion strategy, securing backing from allies of the Trump administration including banker Howard Lutnick (a long-time Tether supporter, whose family firm has also invested in the company). Tether rolled out a new token in the U.S. market this January and has ramped up lobbying efforts in Washington. Meanwhile, the company is courting global investors, targeting a $5 trillion valuation to become one of the world’s most valuable private firms. Ardoino noted Tether aims to wrap up a full audit by late 2026 and is in discussions with the Big Four accounting firms. Last year, the company reported over $10 billion in profit, holding roughly $122 billion in U.S. Treasury securities — making it the 17th largest global holder of such assets. Additionally, Tether is pushing its compliant token USAT in the U.S. market and has made 140+ investments across AI, energy, and brain-machine interfaces.