Tether to Invest $20 Million in Strategic Financing Round for Mercado Bitcoin to Accelerate Onchain Financial Infrastructure in Latin America
Investment supports Mercado Bitcoin’s expansion across tokenization, payments, credit, capital markets and regulated digital financial services
7 July 2026 – Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, today announced an investment of $20 million in a strategic growth financing round for Mercado Bitcoin, Latin America’s leading on-chain financial services platform. The investment reflects Tether’s continued commitment to supporting open, efficient, and accessible financial infrastructure in high-growth markets and reinforces Brazil’s role as an advanced ecosystem for digital asset adoption, tokenization, and blockchain-powered financial services.
Mercado Bitcoin has built one of the most comprehensive regulated on-chain financial platforms in Latin America. Founded in 2013, the company has evolved beyond its origins as a digital asset exchange into a full-stack financial services platform spanning trading and exchange infrastructure, tokenized investment products, credit and lending, stablecoin-powered payments, banking infrastructure, and cross-border financial services.
Today, Mercado Bitcoin serves 4.5 million users, has issued more than R$2 billion in tokenized assets, and operates more than 10 licenses across Brazil and Europe. Its regulated infrastructure includes a Payment Institution license from the Banco Central do Brasil, broker-dealer capabilities, a securitization platform, and asset management capabilities.
“Tether’s mission is to build open, accessible, and efficient financial infrastructure for the world,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “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. Its depth of regulatory licensing, tokenization infrastructure, and integrated financial services is unmatched in Latin America. We look forward to supporting Mercado Bitcoin’s next phase of growth as a strategic partner and investor.”
The investment comes as financial services increasingly move toward blockchain-based infrastructure. Across payments, trading, capital markets, lending, and investment products, institutions and consumers are seeking faster, more programmable, and more globally connected rails to access and move value. In markets such as Brazil, where digital engagement, regulatory development, and financial innovation are converging, on-chain infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important part of the financial system.
Brazil has emerged as a global leader in this transition. The country combines a large and sophisticated financial market, strong digital adoption, a rapidly developing regulatory environment, and growing demand for more efficient financial services. Mercado Bitcoin has played a central role in this evolution by connecting blockchain native innovation with regulated financial infrastructure, institutional partners, and millions of users.
“The discussion is no longer whether finance will move on-chain. That transition is already underway. The focus now is on building the infrastructure that will support tokenization, stablecoins, payments, and capital markets at scale, reshaping how money moves, investments are accessed, and capital is deployed. Mercado Bitcoin has spent more than a decade building the regulated foundation for this future, and this investment strengthens our ability to accelerate the next generation of on-chain financial services in Brazil and across global markets”, said Roberto Dagnoni, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mercado Bitcoin.
Capital from the financing round will be used to accelerate Mercado Bitcoin’s growth across several strategic priorities, including expanding payments infrastructure, scaling tokenized investment offerings for retail and institutional investors, growing lending and credit capabilities, advancing on-chain capital markets, pursuing strategic growth and partnership opportunities, and continuing international expansion.
The investment also advances Tether’s broader strategy of supporting companies that are building practical financial infrastructure for real-world use. As stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain-based financial services move into mainstream adoption, Tether is focused on backing platforms that combine regulatory depth, market scale and technology capable of expanding access to financial products.