S&p's downgrade of usdt's peg ability and subsequent fud from influencers could trigger short-term anxiety and potential sell-offs, impacting confidence in the broader stablecoin market. however, tether's strong financial reporting and counter-arguments from its ceo and other analysts mitigate the severity of this impact.
The news presents conflicting views: s&p's downgrade and arthur hayes' solvency concerns versus tether ceo's detailed financial figures (q3 2025 attestation) and joseph ayoub's strong defense of tether's collateralization and profitability. the trustworthiness is medium due to the differing expert opinions presented.
While fud traditionally leads to bearish sentiment, tether's robust response citing $215 billion in assets against $184.5 billion in liabilities, $7 billion in excess equity, and $23 billion in retained earnings, plus significant monthly profits, provides strong counter-arguments. this could stabilize usdt, preventing a major de-pegging event, but sustained fud might test its peg.
The immediate aftermath of such news can cause temporary market jitters and increased scrutiny on tether. however, if tether continues to provide transparent attestations and maintains its peg, the short-term fud typically subsides, and the market returns to fundamental analysis.
Vince Quill 2 minutes ago Tether CEO slams S&P ratings agency and Influencers spreading USDt FUD The comments followed S&P's downgrade of USDt's ability to maintain its peg, which cited Tether's Bitcoin and gold reserves as a concern. Listen 0:00 News COINTELEGRAPH IN YOUR SOCIAL FEED Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and market analysts pushed back against S&P Global’s downgraded rating of USDt’s ( USDT ) ability to maintain its US dollar peg, saying that the ratings agency did not account for all of Tether’s assets and revenues. The Tether Group’s total assets at the end of Q3 2025 totaled about $215 billion, while its total stablecoin liabilities were about $184.5 billion, according to Ardoino, who referenced Tether’s Q3 attestation report . He added : “Tether had, at the end of Q3 2025, about $7 billion in excess equity, on top of the about $184.5 billion in stablecoin reserves, plus about another $23 billion in retained earnings as part of our Tether Group equity. S&P made the same mistake of not considering the additional Group Equity, nor the roughly $500 million in monthly base profits generated by US Treasury yields alone,” Ardoino continued. Source: Paolo Ardoino S&P Global downgraded USDt’s dollar-peg rating to “weak” on Wednesday, the lowest score on its scale , prompting fear, uncertainty, and doubt from some analysts about the company, which has become a critical piece of crypto market infrastructure. Related: Tether to accelerate push into commodity lending with cash, USDt credit Analysts debate Tether’s balance sheet fundamentals Arthur Hayes, a market analyst and founder of the BitMEX crypto exchange, speculated that Tether is buying large quantities of gold and BTC to compensate for income shortfalls produced by falling US Treasury yields. As the Federal Reserve slashes interest rates, the gold and BTC should go up in value, Hayes said, but he also warned that a steep correction in these assets could spell trouble for Tether. “A roughly 30% decline in the gold and BTC position would wipe out their equity, and then USDt would be, in theory, insolvent,” he said . Source: Arthur Hayes Joseph Ayoub, the former lead digital asset analyst at financial services giant Citi, said he spent “hundreds” of hours researching Tether as an analyst for the company, and rebuffed Hayes’ analysis. Tether has excess assets beyond what it reports, has an extremely lucrative business that generates billions of dollars in interest income with only 150 employees, and is better collateralized than traditional banks, Ayoub said. Magazine: GENIUS Act reopens the door for a Meta stablecoin, but will it work? # Blockchain # Altcoins # Business # Tether # Stablecoin Add reaction