Tether Invests $20M in Mercado Bitcoin as USDT Faces EU Limits

Tether has invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin, a regulated digital-asset platform based in Brazil, the companies said. The financing was announced after the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) framework completed its transition period on July 1.

Mercado Bitcoin serves about 4.5 million users and offers trading, tokenized assets, lending, payments and cross‑border services. The platform has issued more than R$2 billion in tokenized assets and holds more than 10 regulatory licenses in Brazil and Europe, including a Payment Institution license from Brazil’s central bank.

Tether described the funding as part of a strategic financing round for Mercado Bitcoin. The company said the capital will support expansion of payments infrastructure, tokenized investment products, lending capabilities, on‑chain capital markets and the platform’s international operations.

The announcement comes as several regulated platforms in the European Economic Area have limited or removed support for USDT following MiCA’s transition end on July 1. Firms including Kraken, OKX and Revolut cited USDT’s lack of MiCA authorization when curbing availability for EEA users.

Tether has not announced plans to seek MiCA authorization. The company has continued to make investments and form partnerships outside Europe in markets where digital finance and blockchain adoption are developing.

Tether has previously invested in firms that develop tokenization, payments and blockchain-based financial infrastructure, and the Mercado Bitcoin financing follows that pattern of backing regulated infrastructure.

Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CEO, called Mercado Bitcoin “a regulated platform that combines tokenization, financial services and blockchain infrastructure at scale” and added that Tether’s mission is “to build open, accessible, and efficient financial infrastructure for the world.”