Tether Limited was founded in 2014 by Brock Pierce, Craig Sellars, and Reeve Collins, headquartered in Hong Kong and operating under parent company iFinex Inc.

Key developments:

  • 2014: Founded and launched USDT (Tether)
  • 2015: Partnership with Bitfinex
  • 2019: NY Attorney General investigation
  • 2021: Settlement with NYAG ($18.5M)
  • 2023: Increased transparency efforts

Ownership:

  • Private company
  • Part of iFinex Inc.
  • CEO: Paolo Ardoino
  • Close relationship with Bitfinex exchange

Key operations:

  • Tether (USDT) stablecoin issuance
  • Reserve management
  • Compliance operations
  • Multiple blockchain integrations
  • Market operations

The company has evolved from a startup to become the operator of the world’s largest stablecoin, though has faced ongoing regulatory scrutiny and questions about reserve transparency.