Tether Invests $20 Million in Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin

Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced a $20 million investment in Mercado Bitcoin, a Brazilian digital assets platform. The deal, disclosed on July 7, 2025, underscores Tether's push into high-growth markets for blockchain-based financial services.

Mercado Bitcoin plans to deploy the capital to expand its payments infrastructure, broaden tokenized investment offerings for retail and institutional clients, and enhance lending and credit capabilities. The company also aims to strengthen its on-chain capital markets operations, pursue strategic partnerships, and continue international expansion.

Founded in 2013 as a crypto exchange, Mercado Bitcoin has evolved into a broader financial services platform offering credit, lending, tokenized products, stablecoin-powered payments, banking infrastructure, and cross-border services. The platform now serves more than 4.5 million users and has issued over $380 million in tokenized assets. It holds more than 10 licenses in Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from the Banco Central do Brasil.

Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said the investment reflects a shared mission to build open, accessible financial infrastructure. “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,” he stated.

Roberto Dagnoni, chairman and CEO of Mercado Bitcoin, noted that the shift to on-chain finance is already underway. “The focus now is on building the infrastructure that will support tokenization, stablecoins, payments, and capital markets at scale,” he said.

The investment arrives as Brazil emerges as a key market for digital asset adoption, driven by improving regulation and growing interest in tokenization and stablecoins. Tether’s capital injection signals confidence in the region’s blockchain ecosystem.