Tether Drops $20M on Mercado Bitcoin While Europe Kicks USDT to the Curb 🇧🇷

Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America's largest regulated digital asset platforms, as the stablecoin issuer deepens its footprint in markets outside the European Union, where USDT faces growing restrictions under the bloc's new crypto rules. The investment forms part of a strategic financing round for the Brazilian platform, which operates a regulated on-chain financial platform serving 4.5 million users and offering trading, tokenized assets, lending, payments and cross-border financial services.

Founded in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin has issued more than R$2 billion (about $370–$387 million) in tokenized assets and holds more than 10 regulatory licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from Brazil's central bank. The company said in February that it had deployed more than $20 million in tokenized private credit on the Bitcoin ($BTC) sidechain Rootstock, part of its broader tokenization operations. "Tether's mission is to build open, accessible, and efficient financial infrastructure for the world," Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said, adding that 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." Mercado Bitcoin Chairman and CEO Roberto Dagnoni said the capital "strengthens our ability to accelerate the next generation of on-chain financial services in Brazil and across global markets."

The funding will support expansion of Mercado Bitcoin's payments infrastructure, scaled tokenized investment products, lending capabilities, on-chain capital markets and international operations. Tether issued USDT (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin with about $184 billion in circulation, and reported approximately $1.04 billion in net profit in the first quarter of 2026, which it has directed toward strategic investments through its investment arm.

The Mercado Bitcoin deal comes as USDT faces mounting restrictions across the European Economic Area following the end of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework's transition period on July 1. Regulated platforms including Kraken, OKX and Revolut have limited or removed USDT access for European users due to the stablecoin's lack of MiCA authorization. Tether has not announced plans to seek MiCA authorization and has continued expanding abroad, including a $134 million funding round participation in April for NYSE American-traded Stablecoin Development Corporation, a May investment in remittance platform LemFi for cross-border USDT settlement across Africa and Asia, and a May agreement with the Government of Georgia to launch a stablecoin pegged to the Georgian lari.

Beyond stablecoin-adjacent ventures, Tether has invested in sectors including artificial intelligence, energy, biotechnology and digital media. CEO Paolo Ardoino has said the company has no plans to go public, while former Tether CIO Adriano Maciotti has been seeking to sell his stake in the stablecoin issuer, according to a Bloomberg report.