Tether Leads $8M Funding in Speed Payments Platform

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin, has led an $8 million funding round in Speed, a payments infrastructure company that leverages the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins for instant global settlements. The investment, announced on December 16, underscores Tether's efforts to integrate its USDT stablecoin into everyday commerce beyond cryptocurrency exchanges.

The round, co-led by Tether and Ego Death Capital, will support Speed's expansion of products that enable low-fee, real-time transactions. Speed already processes more than $1.5 billion in annual payment volume, serving approximately 1.2 million users and businesses across consumer, creator, platform, and enterprise sectors. Its core offerings, Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant, facilitate instant payments with native settlement in Bitcoin or USDT, providing reliable routing for cross-border transfers, creator payouts, and merchant settlements.

This partnership combines the Lightning Network's high-speed, low-cost capabilities with the price stability of stablecoins, addressing key barriers to cryptocurrency adoption in payments. Users and merchants can opt for Bitcoin exposure or stablecoin...