Mercado Bitcoin will use the funding to expand tokenized finance across Latin America, adding to Tether's growing portfolio of infrastructure investments.
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 $20 million in tokenized private credit, one segment of its broader tokenization business, on Bitcoin (BTC) sidechain Rootstock.
Related: Former Tether CIO seeks to sell stake in stablecoin issuer, Bloomberg reports
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 >reported approximately $1.04 billion in net profit, which it is tapping for strategic investments.
In April, the firm participated in a $134 million funding >round 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 corrid
小靓分析：
🦊 小靓解读
Tether 向巴西最大加密平台 Mercado Bitcoin 投资 2000 万美元，加速拉美代币化金融与稳定币支付布局，显示 USDT 发行方正从“稳定币铸币”转型为“区块链基建商”。
📊 市场影响
短期利好巴西及拉美合规加密生态，可能推动当地 BTC/BRZ 交易对活跃度上升；中长期看，Tether 此举将强化 USDT 在拉美支付和信贷场景的渗透率，间接提升链上流动性。
💡 操作建议
关注 Mercado Bitcoin 平台上线的新代币化资产及稳定币借贷产品，可适度参与巴西雷亚尔-稳定币套利机会。注意 Tether 监管风险仍存，仓位控制在 5% 以内。
风险提示：
该资讯来源于公开渠道，仅供参考。Traceless 无痕智盈平台不对此信息准确性做任何保证。