Tether Acquires 70% Stake in LatAm Agribusiness Giant Adecoagro

Tether, the issuer of the $150 billion USDT stablecoin, has acquired a 70% controlling stake in Adecoagro (NYSE: AGRO), a leading Latin American agribusiness firm with a market capitalization nearing $1 billion. The move marks a significant expansion of Tether's real-world asset (RWA) strategy.

The acquisition follows Tether’s initial $100 million investment in September 2024 for a 9.8% stake. It then raised its offer to 51% in February 2025, and finalized the 70% majority acquisition in March. With this deal, Tether gains control over Adecoagro’s extensive operations in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, including sugar mills, rice farms, dairy production, and renewable energy assets.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that the acquisition supports the company’s broader mission of promoting “economic freedom” through decentralized finance (DeFi), especially in underserved markets. The move also aligns with Tether’s growing focus on tokenizing real-world assets. Its tokenization platform, Hadron, launched last year, aims to convert traditional assets—like bonds, commodities, stocks, and loyalty points—into digital tokens using blockchain infrastructure.

Industry observers see the Adecoagro acquisition as a strategic step to bring blockchain utility to the agriculture and bioenergy sectors, potentially paving the way for tokenized commodities and carbon credits. As part of the deal, five board members of Adecoagro resigned and were replaced by Tether-aligned executives. Uruguayan businessman and politician Juan Sartori was appointed chairman.

Tether’s investment comes amid its broader diversification into bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence, and encrypted communication ventures. Following the announcement, Adecoagro shares rose 2.6% on Wednesday, signaling market approval of the deal.

This acquisition reinforces Tether's push into tokenized real-world assets and real economy infrastructure, expanding its presence beyond the crypto-native world.