Tether backs Mercado Bitcoin with $20M to expand blockchain finance

Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin to support the Brazilian company’s expansion across tokenized assets, blockchain payments, lending, and on-chain capital markets.

According to a July 7 announcement from Tether on Tuesday, the investment forms part of a strategic growth financing round for Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America’s largest digital asset platforms.

The stablecoin issuer said it is backing companies that combine regulatory approvals with large-scale blockchain infrastructure, as demand for tokenized financial services continues to grow across the region.

Founded in São Paulo in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin has evolved beyond cryptocurrency trading into an on-chain financial services provider. The company said it now serves 4.5 million users and has issued more than 2 billion Brazilian reais worth of tokenized assets.

It also holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from the Central Bank of Brazil, while operating brokerage, securitization and asset management businesses.

The funding will expand blockchain-based financial services

Mercado Bitcoin said the fresh capital will be used to strengthen its payments infrastructure, increase the availability of tokenized investment products for retail and institutional clients, expand lending and credit operations, develop on-chain capital markets, and support international growth.

Commenting on the investment, Tether Chief Executive Paolo Ardoino said:

“Mercado Bitcoin has built exactly that, a regulated, full-stack on-chain financial platform serving millions of users across one of the world’s most dynamic financial markets.”

Ardoino added that the company’s combination of licensing, tokenization infrastructure and integrated financial services stands out across the region.

Roberto Dagnoni, chairman and chief executive of Mercado Bitcoin, said financial services are increasingly moving onto blockchain networks, with tokenization, stablecoins, payments and capital markets becoming the next stage of industry development.

According to Dagnoni, Tether’s investment will help accelerate the company’s expansion of on-chain financial services in Brazil and overseas markets.

Tether continues investing beyond its stablecoin business

As banks and consumers increasingly adopt blockchain-based payment systems, Tether pointed to Brazil’s financial ecosystem as an important market because of its digital adoption, regulatory progress and the success of Pix, the country’s instant payment network developed by the central bank. The company said these conditions have supported faster adoption of blockchain-based financial products.

The investment adds to a series of recent deals completed by Tether. In June, the company announced it would lead a funding round of up to $1.4 billion for German robotics company NEURA Robotics.

During the same month, Tether signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre to collaborate on tokenization initiatives and blockchain education. It also announced plans to discontinue Alloy by Tether and its aUSDT token after reviewing market demand and platform usage.

Separately, as previously reported by crypto.news, Tether has confirmed that USDT will return to Bitcoin as a native asset through the RGB protocol. According to an exclusive interview published by Bitcoin Magazine, the rollout is being developed with software company UTEXO, which will commercially issue and distribute Bitcoin-native USDT in partnership with Tether.

The launch is expected within weeks using RGB protocol version v0.11.1, bringing USDT back to the Bitcoin network where it originally debuted through the Omni Layer in 2014.

Neither Tether nor Mercado Bitcoin disclosed the valuation of the financing round or its total size. Tether described its participation as a long-term strategic investment supporting Mercado Bitcoin’s next phase of development as the company expands blockchain-based financial services across Latin America and international markets.