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- Tether will invest $20 million in a strategic funding round for Mercado Bitcoin, a Brazilian cryptocurrency platform, to expand blockchain-based financial services in Latin America.
- Mercado Brasil said it now serves 4.5 million users, has issued more than R$2 billion in token assets, and holds more than 10 licenses across Brazil and Europe.
- The funds will go toward expanding payments infrastructure, scaling token investment products, increasing lending capabilities, developing on-chain capital markets, and pursuing international expansion.
A prominent source of stablecoin pregnancy It said on Tuesday that it will invest $20 million in a strategic funding round for Mercado Bitcoin, a Brazilian cryptocurrency exchange, as the two companies seek to expand blockchain-based financial services throughout Latin America.
Mercado Bitcoin, founded in 2013, has evolved from a digital asset exchange into a broader financial platform offering trading, tokenized investment products, credit, lending, payments based on stablecoins, banking infrastructure and cross-border services.
The company said it serves 4.5 million users, has issued more than 2 billion Brazilian reais (about $387 million) in token assets, and holds more than 10 licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from the Brazilian Central Bank.
“Tether’s mission is to build an open, accessible and efficient financial infrastructure for the world,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in a statement. “Mercado Bitcoin has built exactly that, a regulated, fully integrated financial platform serving millions of users across one of the most dynamic financial markets in the world.”
“The depth of regulatory licensing, token infrastructure and integrated financial services is unparalleled in Latin America,” he added. “We look forward to supporting Mercado Bitcoin’s next phase of growth as a strategic partner and investor.”
According to the announcement, the new capital will be directed toward expanding payments infrastructure, scaling token investment products for retail and institutional investors, increasing lending capabilities, developing on-chain capital markets, and pursuing international expansion.
“The discussion is no longer about whether finance will move to the chain. This shift is already underway,” Roberto Dagnoni, chairman and CEO of Mercado Bitcoin, said in a statement. “The focus now is on building the infrastructure that will support tokenization, stablecoins, payments, and capital markets at scale, reshaping how money moves, access investments, and deploys capital.”
He continued: “Mercado Bitcoin has spent more than a decade building the regulated foundation for this future, and this investment strengthens our ability to accelerate the next generation of cross-chain financial services in Brazil and across global markets.”
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