Tether, the largest stablecoin issuer, invested $20 million in a strategic growth financing round for Mercado Bitcoin, a São Paulo-based on-chain financial services platform, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The investment marks Tether’s entry into Latin American infrastructure for tokenization and regulated blockchain finance.
Mercado Bitcoin, founded in 2013, has evolved from a cryptocurrency exchange into a full-stack financial platform serving 4.5 million users. The company holds 10 licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from Brazil’s central bank, plus broker-dealer, securitization, and asset management capabilities. It has issued 2 billion reais in tokenized assets and operates services spanning trading, tokenized investment products, credit and lending, stablecoin-based payments, and cross-border settlement.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said: “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.” Tether frames the deal as backing platforms that pair regulatory licensing with market scale in a region where digital adoption runs high and a developing regulatory framework is taking shape.
Brazil has attracted crypto industry attention due to its large financial market, high digital adoption rates, and the Pix instant-payment system, which has accelerated adoption of digital settlement infrastructure. Roberto Dagnoni, chairman and chief executive of Mercado Bitcoin, said: “the shift of finance onto blockchain rails is underway and that the focus has turned to building infrastructure for tokenization, stablecoins, payments and capital markets at scale.”
The investment comes as Tether expands its footprint beyond stablecoin issuance. In June 2026, Tether led a $1.4 billion Series C round for NEURA Robotics, a German humanoid robotics firm, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre on tokenization and blockchain education. Tether also announced the wind-down of Alloy by Tether and its aUSDT token during the same period.
Mercado Bitcoin’s licensing portfolio and existing user base position it as an entry point for Tether into Latin American institutional and retail markets. The company operates payment settlement, trading, and lending services on blockchain infrastructure, reducing friction in cross-border transactions within the region. Tether did not disclose the full size of the financing round or valuation attached to its investment, nor did it name other investors participating in the round.
