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Tether has invested $20 million in Brazilian crypto platform Mercado Bitcoin to support the company's expansion into tokenized assets, stablecoin payments, lending and other blockchain-based financial services across Latin America.
Since its 2013 launch, Mercado Bitcoin has expanded beyond crypto trading into regulated financial services, including tokenized assets, credit, stablecoin payments and cross-border services.
The company said it has more than 4.5 million users, has issued more than 2 billion Brazilian reais (about $370 million) worth of tokenized assets, and operates under nearly a dozen licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from Brazil's central bank.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said Mercado Bitcoin has built one of Latin America's most comprehensive regulated onchain financial platforms, citing its licensing, tokenization infrastructure and integrated financial services.
In February, Mercado Bitcoin announced it had deployed more than <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/mercado-bitcoin-expands-latam-rwa-push" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$20 million in tokenized private credit</a>, one segment of its broader tokenization business, on Bitcoin (BTC) sidechain Rootstock.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/former-tether-cio-seeks-to-sell-stake-in-stablecoin-issuer-bloomberg-reports" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Former Tether CIO seeks to sell stake in stablecoin issuer, Bloomberg reports</a>
<h2 id="tether-using-profits-for-strategic-investments">Tether using profits for strategic investments</h2>
The Mercado Bitcoin investment aligns with Tether Investments' strategy of backing companies developing blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
Tether issues USDT (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin, with about $184 billion in circulation. In the first quarter of 2026, the company <a href="https://tether.io/news/tether-posts-1-04b-q1-2026-profit-despite-highly-volatile-global-markets-reaches-all-time-highs-8-23b-reserve-buffer-and-maintains-u-s-treasury-heavy-backing/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported</a> approximately $1.04 billion in net profit, which it is tapping for strategic investments.
In April, the firm participated in a $134 million funding <a href="https://tether.io/news/tether-backs-134-million-raise-as-stablecoin-infrastructure-expands-into-mainstream-use-cases/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">round</a> for Stablecoin Development Corporation, a NYSE American-traded company focused on expanding access to the stablecoin economy and digital asset infrastructure.
A month later, Tether invested in remittance platform LemFi to support the integration of USDT as a settlement layer for cross-border payments across Africa and Asia. The companies said the partnership would expand stablecoin-based payment infrastructure across key remittance corridors.
Later in May, Tether announced plans with the Government of Georgia to launch a stablecoin pegged to the Georgian lari under the country's digital asset framework.
Beyond stablecoin-related initiatives, Tether has also <a href="https://tether.io/news/tether-to-lead-neura-robotics-series-c-financing-one-of-the-largest-up-to-1-4bn-robotics-physical-ai-investment-rounds-on-record-to-power-the-financial-and-intelligence-layer/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">invested</a> in sectors including artificial intelligence, energy, biotechnology and digital media through its investment arm.
Despite speculation about a potential listing, CEO Paolo Ardoino has <a href="https://x.com/paoloardoino/status/1931428326201012311" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said</a> the company has no plans to go public.<img alt="" height="813" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-07-07-at-94843-am.png" width="2373">
Source: <a href="https://defillama.com/stablecoin/tether" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">DefiLlama</a>
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph-magazine.com/ai-is-banking-the-unbanked-in-africa-but-is-it-enough/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">AI is banking the unbanked in Africa… faster than crypto</a>

Tether invests in Mercado Bitcoin as blockchain finance expands in Latin America

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