Tether Invests €10M in Italian Media with Be Water

The leading provider of stablecoin, Tether, expands its reach beyond financial technology by investing €10m in Be Water, an Italian media company.

The strategic move, announced on 27 March, grants Tether a 30.4% shareholding in Be Water, which will be finalised by the end of the month.

Be Water is an Italian company that produces and distributes content for film, television, audio and live events. Thanks to Tether's investment, Be Water will expand its international presence and strengthen its digital platform by adopting blockchain technologies along with other cutting-edge technology solutions. The collaboration is expected to enhance Be Water's ability to distribute independent content on global platforms.

The CEO of Tether announced the partnership stating:

"We are excited to collaborate with Guido Maria Brera and the entire Be Water team to explore new frontiers in content creation and distribution, ensuring that independent, high-quality content and entertainment reaches audiences around the world."

Tether's ever-expanding investment portfolio now includes media, biotech, sports and video platforms, and this new deal adds another layer of diversification. Significant past investments include $775 million in Rumble, a participation in Juventus Football Club and $200 million in BlackRock Neurotech, a leader in the development of brain-computer interface technologies.

During his tenure as CEO, Paolo Ardoino emphasised the need to protect editorial independence. The investment will serve to protect Be Water from commercial influence while guaranteeing its artistic autonomy. The transaction changed the ownership structure of Be Water, although Ardoino assured the integrity of the project. The new shareholder roster includes Guido Maria Brera, Giancarlo Devasini and Paolo Ardoino of Tether, along with prominent industry figures such as Mario Calabresi, Roberto Condulmari, Saverio Costanzo and Barbara Salabè.

Brera will take over as Chairman, while Barbara Salabè will become CEO of Be Water's board of directors. The board will also welcome two new members: Claudia Lagorio, COO of Tether, and Sabrina Giovannetti, CFO of Be Water.

Be Water will embark on a development path focused on next-generation digital infrastructure, expansion of investigative journalism divisions such as Chora and Will, and building partnerships with global film, television and documentary production professionals.

Tether ventures into new markets, while the USDT stablecoin operations continue to be successful. According to a recent announcement on X by Ardoino, the USDT stablecoin has exceeded 400 million users worldwide.

"Today Tether USDT has (conservatively) more than 400 million users worldwide. Soon it will be 1 billion. We have always focused on bottom-up adoption, working on the streets, among the people, while traditional finance watched from its ivory towers. That is the difference. And that is why we are unstoppable together," Ardoino wrote in a post on X.

Ardoino describes USDT as a bottom-up solution that fills the gaps left by traditional financial systems, maintaining its position as an industry leader with over $140 billion in market capitalisation.