Tether Buys SoftBank’s Twenty One Stake as Bitcoin Company Enters Next Phase

CryptoProwl

Wed, May 20, 2026 at 9:47 AM EDT 2 min read

Tether International is deepening its position in Twenty One Capital (NYSE: $XXI) after acquiring SoftBank’s stake in the Bitcoin (CRYPTO: $BTC) focused public company.

The stablecoin issuer said Wednesday that it acquired SoftBank’s position in Twenty One, with SoftBank’s representatives stepping down from the company’s board at closing under the shareholder agreement. Tether described the transaction as a deeper commitment to Twenty One’s long-term Bitcoin strategy.

Twenty One was launched as a Bitcoin-native public company backed by Tether, Bitfinex, SoftBank and Cantor Equity Partners, with Strike founder Jack Mallers leading the business. Its original pitch centred on growing Bitcoin ownership per share, giving public-market investors direct exposure to a company built around Bitcoin accumulation and future Bitcoin-native financial products.

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The SoftBank stake purchase leaves Tether with a more concentrated position in one of the more closely watched Bitcoin treasury vehicles outside Strategy. It also extends a broader investment pattern from Tether, which has been using its balance sheet to expand beyond USDT (CRYPTO: USDT) into Bitcoin, payments, energy, AI infrastructure and financial technology.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said SoftBank helped give Twenty One early credibility, perspective and discipline, while positioning the company to move forward with a stronger foundation and clearer mandate.

Bitcoin treasury vehicles are still attracting public-market attention, but the bar is moving higher. Investors are no longer looking only at how much Bitcoin a company holds; they are also weighing the premium attached to that exposure, the funding strategy behind it and the path toward a broader operating business.

Twenty One’s next test is whether it can turn that Bitcoin-native pitch into something more durable than listed exposure to the asset. Tether’s larger role gives the company a more committed backer, but it also puts more pressure on execution as the Bitcoin treasury category becomes more crowded.

Twenty One Capital Inc. (NYSE: XXI) is currently trading at $7.62 U.S. per share. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is trading at $77,511 U.S. per digital token.