News

According to ChainCatcher, a Jefferies analyst report shows that stablecoin issuer Tether currently holds 116 tons of physical gold, making it "the largest holder of gold outside of central banks," with reserves comparable to the central banks of countries such as South Korea, Hungary, and Greece. In the last quarter, Tether's gold purchases accounted for nearly 2% of global gold demand and nearly 12% of central bank purchases. Its aggressive acquisition activity may have affected short-term market supply and investor sentiment. Investors cited by Jefferies believe that Tether plans to acquire another 100 tons of gold in 2025. With an expected profit of $1.5 billion this year, this goal seems within reach. In addition, Tether has invested over $300 million in precious metals producers and has issued the gold-backed token Tether Gold (XAUt), which now has a market capitalization of $2.1 billion, with issuance doubling in the past six months.

ChainCatcher news, according to DL News, Thailand's data regulator has ordered the iris scanning project World, driven by Sam Altman, to delete more than 1.2 million records collected in Thailand. Thailand's Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Chaichanok Chidchob, stated that the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) also ordered the company to suspend all its operations in Thailand on Monday. In Thailand, an expert panel commissioned to investigate whether World violated the country's data protection laws concluded that collecting biometric data in exchange for cryptocurrency constitutes illegal activity. World has already ceased its iris scanning business in Thailand.