Tether has sunk $20 million into Mercado Bitcoin in a strategic financing move aimed at accelerating the expansion of blockchain-based financial services in Brazil and beyond.
The July 7 announcement frames the investment as part of a broader growth round for Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America’s largest digital-asset platforms. Tether said it is targeting companies that pair regulatory approvals with scalable blockchain infrastructure as tokenization and on-chain financial services gain traction across the region.
Why this matters
- Mercado Bitcoin, founded in São Paulo in 2013, has grown from an exchange into a full-stack on-chain financial services provider. The firm now serves roughly 4.5 million users and has issued more than BRL 2 billion (over $350 million at current exchange rates) in tokenized assets.
- The company holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from the Central Bank of Brazil, and operates brokerage, securitization and asset-management businesses—credentials that likely appealed to Tether.
How the capital will be used
Mercado Bitcoin said the fresh funding will be deployed to:
- Reinforce payments infrastructure
- Expand availability of tokenized investment products for retail and institutional clients
- Grow lending and credit operations
- Develop on-chain capital markets
- Support international expansion
Leadership perspectives
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino praised Mercado Bitcoin as “a regulated, full‑stack on‑chain financial platform serving millions of users across one of the world’s most dynamic financial markets,” highlighting the company’s licensing and tokenization capabilities as differentiators in the region.
Mercado Bitcoin chairman and CEO Roberto Dagnoni framed the deal as timely: financial services are moving on‑chain, he said, and Tether’s backing will help accelerate the company’s rollout of tokenization, stablecoins, payments and capital markets in Brazil and overseas.
Brazil as a strategic market
Tether noted Brazil’s favorable environment for blockchain adoption—strong digital adoption, progressive regulation and the success of Pix, the central bank’s instant‑payments system—as factors supporting faster uptake of blockchain-based financial products.
Tether’s recent dealmaking
The Mercado Bitcoin investment adds to several recent Tether moves:
- In June, Tether said it would lead a funding round of up to $1.4 billion for German robotics firm NEURA Robotics.
- The company signed an MoU with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre on tokenization initiatives and blockchain education.
- Tether announced plans to discontinue Alloy by Tether and its aUSDT token after reviewing market demand and platform usage.
- Separately, Tether confirmed plans to bring USDT back to Bitcoin as a native asset via the RGB protocol, working with UTEXO; the rollout using RGB v0.11.1 is expected within weeks. USDT originally appeared on Bitcoin via the Omni Layer in 2014.
Deal details
Neither Tether nor Mercado Bitcoin disclosed the overall size or valuation of the financing round beyond Tether’s $20 million stake. Tether characterized its participation as a long‑term strategic investment to support Mercado Bitcoin’s next phase of on‑chain financial services expansion across Latin America and internationally.
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