Tether Invests $20 Million in Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin

Jul 7, 2026

Stablecoin issuer Tether is investing $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, a regulated Brazilian crypto platform with 4.5 million users. The strategic funding aims to accelerate on-chain financial services like payments and tokenization across Latin America. The deal is part of Tether's broader strategy to partner with regulated firms in high-growth markets to expand the use of its USDT stablecoin.

Tether investment in Mercado Bitcoin

▪Mercado Bitcoin will use the capital to expand its payments infrastructure, tokenized offerings, lending services, and on-chain capital markets.
▪Tether invested $20 million in Brazilian crypto platform Mercado Bitcoin on July 7, 2026.
▪The investment is part of a strategic growth financing round to accelerate on-chain financial infrastructure across Latin America.

Mercado Bitcoin platform operations

▪The platform serves 4.5 million users and holds over 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe.
▪Founded in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin is a regulated on-chain financial platform based in São Paulo, Brazil.
▪Mercado Bitcoin has issued over R$2 billion (Brazilian reais) in tokenized assets.
▪Mercado Bitcoin is a key regional partner for enterprise blockchain firm Ripple, using its technology for cross-border payments.

Tether distribution strategy

▪In 2026, Tether also invested in Abu Dhabi tokenization firm KAIO and cross-border payments app LemFi.
▪Tether-backed payments app Oobit recently integrated Pix, Brazil’s instant payment network serving roughly 170 million users.
▪Tether's investment strategy focuses on supporting regulated partners that can distribute its USDT stablecoin to mainstream users.

Tether financial position

▪Tether is the issuer of USDT, the world's largest stablecoin.
▪The company reported approximately $1.04 billion in net profit for Q1 2026 and held excess reserves of $8.23 billion as of March 31.