Tether has made a strategic $20 million investment in Mercado Bitcoin, Brazil's largest regulated digital asset platform, to expand stablecoin payments, tokenization, and on-chain capital markets across Latin America. According to reports from AMBCrypto, this investment forms part of a strategic financing round for the platform, which operates a regulated on-chain financial platform serving 4.5 million users. The services encompass trading, tokenized assets, lending, payments, and cross-border financial services, with Mercado Bitcoin having issued more than R$2 billion in tokenized assets. As per Tether's July 7 announcement, the stablecoin issuer is backing companies that combine regulatory approvals with large-scale blockchain infrastructure as demand for tokenized financial services continues to grow across the region. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized that Mercado Bitcoin has already built one of the region's most advanced regulated on-chain platforms, with its depth of regulatory licensing, tokenization infrastructure, and integrated financial services being unmatched in Latin America.
Mercado Bitcoin holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from Brazil's central bank. As reported by AMBCrypto, the funding will help Mercado Bitcoin expand its payments infrastructure, tokenized investment products, lending capabilities, on-chain capital markets, and international operations. The company noted that the investment aligns with its long-term strategy of supporting open, accessible, and efficient financial infrastructure in regions with rapid growth in digital assets. According to Tether's announcement, the company's combination of licensing, tokenization infrastructure and integrated financial services stands out across the region. The platform also holds broker-dealer, securitization and asset management capabilities, positioning it as a comprehensive financial services provider. Founded in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin started as a cryptocurrency exchange but later evolved into a comprehensive financial platform serving the growing digital asset market. For context, Mercado Bitcoin raised $200 million in a Series B round back in 2021, led by SoftBank, which valued the company at over $2 billion at the time.
The fresh capital will be used to strengthen Mercado Bitcoin's 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 across the broader Latin American region. As reported by Tether, the investment adds to a series of recent deals completed by the company, including leading a $1.4 billion funding round for German robotics company NEURA Robotics in June. The company plans to use the funding raised to strengthen its stablecoin payment network, increase tokenized investment offerings for both retail and institutional investors, expand lending and credit services, develop on-chain capital markets, and pursue new partnerships while continuing its international expansion. Mercado Bitcoin Chairman and CEO Roberto Dagnoni emphasized that the company has spent "more than a decade building the regulated foundation" for on-chain finance and that the investment "strengthens our ability to accelerate the next generation of on-chain financial services in Brazil and across global markets."
The investment reflects Brazil's emergence as one of the global leaders in adopting blockchain technologies, driven by a combination of a large financial market, high level of digitalization, and a more developed regulatory framework. According to Tether's announcement, the Central Bank of Brazil approved rules for the crypto market but restricted crypto assets in international payments. The company believes Brazil is becoming one of the world's leading blockchain markets thanks to growing regulation, digital adoption, and demand for tokenized financial products. Notably, the US company NYLIM recently identified the main purpose of tokenization as creating personalized investment portfolios at industrial scale. The focus has shifted to building infrastructure that supports tokenization, stablecoins, payments, and capital markets at scale, reshaping how money moves, investments are accessed, and capital is deployed across the region. Mercado Bitcoin CEO Roberto Dagnoni noted that "the discussion is no longer whether finance will move on-chain. That transition is already underway," positioning the platform as a complete blockchain-powered financial platform.
Tether continues expanding beyond its stablecoin business, with the company confirming that USDT will return to Bitcoin as a native asset through the RGB protocol. According to an exclusive interview with 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. The investment in Mercado Bitcoin also reflects the company's broader strategy of supporting infrastructure projects that drive mass adoption of stablecoins, tokenization, and blockchain finance. The news came shortly after Tether announced it would wind down the Alloy by Tether platform and end support for the aUSDT stablecoin, saying it intends to focus on core products, including Tether Gold (XAUT).
