Social media personality and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate, who is currently awaiting trial over human trafficking and rape allegations, has risen to stardom over his controversial statements online, particularly related to masculinity and women, but his involvement with the cryptocurrency industry has also attracted significant attention.
After becoming a kickboxing world champion, Tate became infatuated with cryptocurrencies so much that, in 2021, he launched a crypto trading school called Hustler’s University, which reportedly has more than 160,000 active members as he continued to advocate vocally for crypto assets, especially Bitcoin (BTC).
Andrew Tate’s crypto possessions
Two months after the widely publicized arrest in Romania in December 2022, the local police seized close to $500,000 worth of Bitcoin from the crypto wallets of both Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate who are jointly accused of human trafficking – particularly five Bitcoin from Andrew and 16 from Tristan, according to the influencer’s spokesperson Mateea Petrescu.
Shortly before his arrest, Andrew Tate appeared on Anthony Pompliano’s popular Bitcoin podcast, where he praised the flagship decentralized finance (DeFi) asset as eliminating the drawbacks of fiat transactions, stating he was “going fully crazy mister blockchain now” and boasting of turning “600 grand to $12 million,” as Finbold reported on December 20.
Interestingly, this is the only known part of Andrew Tate’s crypto portfolio, but it is also worth mentioning that he has reportedly launched his own cryptocurrency called Tatecoin. However, this is currently impossible to verify if it was launched by him or people who are not affiliated with him, as there are several different websites and social media accounts all purporting to represent the influencer’s alleged coin.
Calling out SBF
It should also be mentioned that Tate had a lot to say about the CEO of the now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, calling him a ‘fake’ and ‘phony,’ and claiming he saw through his activities early on, warning others about him:
“FTX is a perfect example. If this [expletive] was driving a nice fat Lambo and had a big diamond watch and was living a life which a millionaire should live, I would have trusted him a bunch more. But when he said, ‘I only drive a Corolla, and I give all my money away, and I just try and hoard it all to just help people,’ an alarm went off in my head.”
Meanwhile, Tate has been steadily tweeting from the Romanian jail, updating his followers on his daily exercise regime and improved mental skills, as well as posting verses from The Quran without any limitations while announcing plans to write a book if he is provided with a typewriter after being denied a computer.
