Tether, the company behind the

stablecoin USDT, would reach a valuation of $515 billion if it were to go public today, surpassing giants like Coca-Cola, a symbol of the U.S. economy.

With that hypothetical valuation, Tether would be the 19th most valuable company in the world. Its CEO, Paolo Ardoino, believes that the figure is understated, considering its reserves in bitcoin and gold.

Although it does not plan to go public, Tether's global weight is growing: it has already surpassed Germany in holdings of Treasury bonds and is shaping up to be a key player in U.S. finance.