Tether Drops $20M Into Mercado Bitcoin While USDT Gets the European Cold Shoulder 🥶

Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America's largest regulated digital asset platforms, as the stablecoin issuer deepens its push into tokenization, payments and blockchain-based financial services in high-growth markets. The investment forms part of a strategic financing round for the Brazilian firm, which operates a regulated on-chain financial platform serving 4.5 million users and has issued more than R$2 billion (about $370 million) in tokenized assets. Mercado Bitcoin holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from Brazil's central bank, and offers trading, tokenized assets, lending, payments and cross-border financial services. "Tether's mission is to build open, accessible, and efficient financial infrastructure for the world," CEO Paolo Ardoino said, describing Mercado Bitcoin as a regulated platform that combines tokenization, financial services and blockchain infrastructure at scale.

The investment comes as USDT faces tightening restrictions in Europe following the end of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) transition period on July 1. Several regulated crypto platforms, including Kraken, OKX and Revolut, have limited or removed USDT availability for users in the European Economic Area, citing the stablecoin's lack of MiCA authorization. Tether has not announced plans to seek MiCA authorization and has instead continued to expand outside Europe through investments and partnerships in regions where blockchain adoption and digital financial infrastructure are growing.

The deal aligns with Tether Investments' broader strategy of backing companies developing blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Tether issues USDT (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin, with roughly $184 billion in circulation, and reported approximately $1.04 billion in net profit in the first quarter of 2026, funds it is tapping for strategic investments. Recent moves include a $134 million funding round in April for Stablecoin Development Corporation, a NYSE American-traded company focused on expanding access to the stablecoin economy, and an investment in remittance platform LemFi to integrate USDT as a settlement layer for cross-border payments across Africa and Asia. Tether also announced plans in May with the Government of Georgia to launch a stablecoin pegged to the Georgian lari under the country's digital asset framework.

Tether has also deployed capital beyond stablecoin-related initiatives, with investments spanning artificial intelligence, energy, biotechnology and digital media through its investment arm. In February, Mercado Bitcoin said it had deployed more than $20 million in tokenized private credit, one segment of its broader tokenization business, on the Bitcoin ($BTC) sidechain Rootstock. Ardoino has said the company has no plans to go public despite market speculation about a potential listing, while a former Tether CIO is seeking to sell a stake in the stablecoin issuer, according to a Bloomberg report cited by industry coverage.