Tether is turning to video streaming platform Rumble to build momentum for its new U.S.-focused stablecoin, USAT. Chief executive Paolo Ardoino told the Token2049 conference in Singapore that Rumble will launch a crypto wallet later this year powered by Tether’s technology. The wallet could introduce the firm’s 51 million monthly active users—most of them in the United States—to stablecoin payments.
“The aim there is to prove how we can convert [Rumble’s] 51 million [monthly] active users, mostly in the United States, to use stablecoins within the U.S., the most sophisticated country nation for financial rails,” Ardoino said.
Tether already has deep links to Rumble. The company invested $775 million in the Toronto-based platform last year, taking a stake of about 48%, according to Bloomberg data. The wallet rollout will test whether social media users can be converted into crypto adopters at scale.
Investor Takeaway
USAT Launch and Tether’s Broader Push
Tether launched USAT in August as a dollar-backed token built for the U.S. market and designed to comply with domestic regulation. It complements the company’s flagship USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin with a circulating supply of $174.6 billion, according to The Block.
The company has been expanding beyond its core stablecoin franchise. Tether reported $13 billion in profit in 2024, largely from reserves backing its tokens, but has reinvested earnings into industries ranging from telecommunications to energy. The firm says USAT is part of a strategy to entrench itself in the U.S. while using its capital to fund broader ventures.
Bloomberg reported last week that Tether is in talks with investors to raise up to $20 billion at a valuation of $500 billion. If completed, the fundraising would make Tether one of the highest-valued private companies in the digital asset sector.
Global Expansion Beyond Finance
Ardoino said fresh capital would accelerate Tether’s efforts outside finance. He highlighted plans in Africa, where the firm is building infrastructure to support stablecoin adoption and energy distribution. “We think that we can scale up to 100,000 to 150,000 kiosks by 2030 [in Africa],” he said, describing the rollout as a way to support dollar-linked transactions in underbanked regions.
Such moves reflect Tether’s ambition to move beyond being a stablecoin issuer into a diversified global infrastructure provider. Its ventures into payments, telecoms, and energy signal an attempt to embed stablecoins into both financial and non-financial systems.
Investor Takeaway
Implications for Rumble and U.S. Adoption
For Rumble, a crypto wallet integrated with stablecoin payments could help differentiate the platform as it competes with YouTube and other video services. For Tether, the tie-up provides a direct entry point into the U.S. consumer market at a time when regulation has tightened and rivals are pushing their own dollar-backed tokens.
If successful, the collaboration could show that mainstream platforms can drive adoption of regulated stablecoins in the U.S.—a key test case for whether digital dollars can move beyond trading venues and into daily use. But with regulators scrutinizing stablecoin issuers more closely, execution will be closely watched.