Tether invests $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin financing round

Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, Brazil’s largest regulated crypto exchange, to support the company’s expansion in tokenization, stablecoin-powered payments, credit and lending products, and on-chain capital markets, with part of the funding also earmarked for broader growth across Latin America. Founded in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin has developed into a broader financial platform with more than 4.5 million users and has issued over 2 billion reais, or about $360 million, in tokenized assets. The company holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from Brazil’s central bank. Paolo Ardoino described Mercado Bitcoin as a “robust full-stack on-chain financial platform,” underscoring Tether’s view of the company as infrastructure for expanding digital asset use rather than simply an exchange investment. Mercado Bitcoin said the capital will significantly speed its shift toward fully on-chain services. The deal builds on the company’s earlier $200 million Series B round in 2021 led by SoftBank, which valued Mercado Bitcoin at more than $2 billion at the time. The investment also highlights Tether’s growing focus on Latin America, where Brazil has become a key market for digital assets, even as stablecoin-based payments will have to compete with established local fintech and instant-payment systems such as PIX.