Updated on:12/26/2025 06:47 PM 
Tether, the prominent cryptocurrency firm, has revealed its unexpected exclusion from Juventus Football Club's capital increase despite significantly expanding its investment in the Italian Serie A powerhouse.
In a June 2 announcement on X, Paolo Ardoino, Tether's CEO, responded to growing inquiries from Juventus supporters who had anticipated the crypto giant would provide fresh capital to bolster the team's player acquisitions and competitive standing.
According to Ardoino, Juventus has formally prohibited Tether from participating in the capital increase process that commenced in April 2025. Without this official approval, Tether remains unable to inject additional funds, irrespective of its financial capacity or willingness to invest further.
p>Ardoino stated:The executive somewhat dryly noted that his ticket purchases might represent the only form of support Juventus currently accepts from Tether. He added:
Tether initially commenced its Juventus investment in February 2025, securing an initial 8.2% ownership stake. By April 2025, the cryptocurrency firm had increased its holdings to 10.12% of issued shares, equivalent to 6.18% of the club's voting rights.
Despite this substantial involvement, the stablecoin issuer finds itself marginalized from a capital raise projected to generate between €15 million and €110 million in fresh funding.
The club's financial initiative follows a challenging fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 Serie A season. As part of its strategic realignment, Juventus recently appointed Damien Gomolli as General Manager to spearhead its commercial and marketing transformation.
Tether's strategic entry into football coincides with the remarkable momentum of its flagship stablecoin, USDT.
As highlighted by Ardoino, USDT has gained over $5 billion in market capitalization during the last 30 days, outperforming its primary competitor, Circle's USDC. This significant surge has propelled USDT's total market cap beyond $153 billion, while USDC trails substantially at $60.9 billion.
The exceptional growth trajectory reflects broader positive market developments, including Bitcoin's unprecedented price surge to record levels in May and emerging regulatory clarity from US and Hong Kong authorities regarding cryptocurrency operations.
