Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced a $20 million investment in Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America’s largest digital asset exchanges and on-chain financial platforms.
The financing round is meant to speed up the expansion of Mercado Bitcoin’s blockchain-based infrastructure across tokenization, digital payments, and credit markets in Brazil and the broader region.
Notably, Mercado Bitcoin is a key regional partner for San Francisco-headquartered enterprise blockchain firm Ripple. The two firms previously partnered to deploy Ripple Payments to facilitate cross-border treasury operations between Brazil and Portugal.
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Additionally, Ripple has supported Mercado Bitcoin’s massive tokenization efforts, which included a recent initiative to bring over $200 million in permissioned real-world assets (RWAs) onto the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
With Tether now joining as a strategic investor, Mercado Bitcoin plans to use the $20 million to further build upon this regulated foundation.
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The exchange, which was founded in 2013, has become a full-stack financial services platform.
It currently serves roughly 4.5 million users and holds over ten licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from the Central Bank of Brazil.
According to the announcement, the new capital will be allocated to scaling Mercado Bitcoin’s tokenized investment offerings.
The funds will also support the expansion of its stablecoin-powered payment rails, the growth of its lending and credit capabilities, and its ongoing international expansion efforts.
Tether’s growing footprint in Brazil
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino noted that the investment aligns with the stablecoin issuer’s broader corporate strategy.
Tether aims to support companies building practical infrastructure for mainstream, real-world utility in high-growth markets like Brazil.
Recently, the Tether-backed payments application Oobit integrated Pix, Brazil’s ubiquitous instant payment network created by the central bank. This massive integration makes it possible for the network’s 170 million users to seamlessly deposit Brazilian reais.