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- Tether Prints $1B
Tether Prints $1B
PLUS: Riot’s AI Pivot Is Starting to Pay Off
Welcome back to The Warmup.
Happy Friday to all the people who held 2021 NFTs until they pumped again in 2026.
Here’s what we’re watching:
Market Snapshot
Tether Prints $1B
LINK Range Compression Play
Riot’s AI Pivot Is Starting to Pay Off
Market: Crypto and equities are pushing higher together while the dollar and volatility slip, signaling a mild risk-on environment.
Tether Prints $1B and Loads Up on Treasuries
What’s going on:
Tether just posted $1.04B in Q1 profit and pushed its reserve buffer to a record $8.2B.
That’s the extra cushion sitting on top of what it owes users, and it keeps growing.
But the real headline is its exposure to U.S. Treasuries.
Tether now holds around $141B, making it one of the largest holders globally, alongside major countries.
The firm also holds roughly $20B in gold and about $7B in Bitcoin, adding a layer of diversification.
In total, Tether has about $192B in assets backing $183B in liabilities, mostly tied to USDT in circulation, which continues to rise.
What it means:
Tether is evolving into something much bigger than a stablecoin issuer.
It’s acting like a massive yield machine, earning from Treasuries while providing liquidity to the entire crypto market.
The growing reserve buffer strengthens confidence, especially after past stablecoin scares.
Stablecoins are becoming a major force in global finance, quietly absorbing demand for U.S. dollars and government debt.
LINK Range Compression Play
What’s going on:
LINK is tightly compressed with Bollinger Bands squeezing. Big move likely soon, but no clear direction yet. Trend still leans bearish.
Key levels we’re watching:
Support: $9.00
Resistance: $9.60
Downside: $7.50
Upside: $11.50+
Directional Bias: Bearish
What we’re waiting for:
Break below $9 → shorts
Break + hold above $9.60 → longs
Volume expansion to confirm move
Riot’s AI Pivot Is Starting to Pay Off
Source: Riot Platforms
What’s going on:
Riot Platforms just reported its first real data center revenue and it came in at $33M for Q1.
That’s already 20% of total revenue, showing the shift away from pure Bitcoin mining is real.
Meanwhile, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) doubled its contracted capacity with Riot from 25 MW to 50 MW, with potential to scale up to 200 MW.
Some of that capacity is already live and generating revenue, with more expected to come online in Q2.
Bitcoin mining still dominates ($112M), but it’s declining year over year as production and prices cool.
What it means:
Riot is no longer just a Bitcoin miner. It’s becoming AI infrastructure.
The AMD deal is the key signal. Big tech demand for compute is so strong that it’s pulling in former crypto miners to supply power and space.
Short term, margins are lower due to setup costs.
But long term, recurring data center revenue could be more stable and scalable than mining.
Zooming out, this is the trend: AI is eating energy, and crypto miners already have it.
 | MEGA: |
 | PUMP: |
 | HOOD: |
 | WLFI: |
Is this bullish or bearish for PUMP? |
Big wins in the market don’t come from playing it safe, they come from being ready to go big when conviction is highest and the timing aligns.
The key isn’t risking everything blindly, but separating your capital so you can take asymmetric bets without blowing up your entire portfolio.
Most of these opportunities take time to show up, but one right call can completely change your long-term returns.
In a world driven by AI and volatility, the real edge is having the discipline to wait, and the courage to act when it finally matters.
— The Warmup Team
Always do your own research. This newsletter is supplemental material to help educate readers as they make their own decisions. Projects mentioned here are provided to give a potential early-mover advantage.