Tether Leads $8M Investment in Speed to Enhance Lightning Payments

Tether Leads $8 Million Investment in Speed1, Inc.

Tether has made an $8 million strategic investment in Speed1, Inc. to enhance Lightning-native, stablecoin-powered payments for global commerce.
The investment aligns with Tether's focus on Bitcoin payment infrastructure as USDT adoption on the Bitcoin Lightning Network increases.
Speed1 processes over $1.5 billion annually with 1.2 million users, offering BTC and USDT settlements and high-reliability global routing.
This move is part of Tether's strategy to expand USDT's role in real-world payments and support Bitcoin-based financial systems.
CEO Paolo Ardoino highlighted Lightning and USDT’s potential to streamline transactions and prepare Bitcoin networks for mainstream use.

Lightning Network Gains Stablecoin Momentum

Stablecoin activity on the Lightning Network has increased since Tether announced USDT integration using Lightning Labs' Taproot Assets protocol.
The integration aims to reduce costs and settlement times for remittances, small payments, and cross-border transfers.
Block's Cash App is adopting Lightning-enabled Bitcoin USD payments and stablecoin support, enhancing balance interoperability.

Tether continues to invest in expanding USDT's payment capabilities, including a February investment in Zengo wallet for enhanced stablecoin access and self-custody tools.
In April, Tether backed Fizen, a protocol for everyday stablecoin spending without banks or third parties.
In November, Tether invested in Ledn, a Bitcoin-backed lender, to expand credit products using USDT and BTC as collateral.
Tether is also developing in Latin America with Parfin to support institutional USDT settlement and cross-border payments.
These investments aim to integrate USDT within the Bitcoin ecosystem and focus on payments, remittances, and savings linked to USDT.