Tether has entered a new chapter in its ambitious strategy to broadening the utility of its stablecoin, USDT, by leading an $8 million investment round in Speed, a payment infrastructure company that harnesses the power of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.
This strategic investment not only signifies Tether’s commitment to integrating stablecoins into everyday commerce and payments but also marks a significant opportunity for Speed, which processes over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume. Presently, it serves around 1.2 million users through its innovative Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant solutions.
With the Lightning Network’s capability to facilitate quicker and more affordable transactions, Speed’s platform enables immediate payments while settling in USDT. This fusion is designed to make cryptocurrency payments more practical for daily transactions, attracting a broader audience to utilize digital currencies.
Tether CEO, Paolo Ardoino, underscored this investment as an integral move in showcasing how the Lightning Network can efficiently support real-world commerce alongside stablecoin technology. His remarks reflect a vision to transition USDT use beyond mere trading into the realm of mainstream payments.
Speed’s CEO, Niraj Patel, echoed this sentiment, highlighting their platform’s potential to leverage the Lightning Network for swift, global payment solutions while emphasizing the accessibility offered by stablecoins. By merging these technologies, Speed aims to bridge the gap for consumers, businesses, and creators.
Tether’s Broader Investment Landscape
Tether has been strategically deploying its substantial profits into various sectors, having investments across more than 140 companies that include Bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence, finance, and even sports teams. Such diversified interests are fueled by Tether’s impressive financial metrics.
In just the first nine months of 2025, Tether reported profits exceeding $10 billion, primarily driven by interests accrued from US Treasury bills that back the USDT stablecoin. The prior year saw total profits of $13.4 billion, reinforcing Tether’s stature as one of the world’s most lucrative companies, particularly on a per-employee basis. This financial prowess lays the groundwork for Tether’s assertive investment trajectory.
USDT: The Leading Stablecoin
Currently, USDT boasts a market capitalization of $186.3 billion, solidifying its position as the world’s largest stablecoin, predominantly leveraged for trading on cryptocurrency exchanges. Tether is keen on expanding these functionalities into the realms of payment processing and commerce, aiming to redefine how stablecoins are perceived and utilized.
Ardoino emphasized Tether’s focus on supporting teams that enhance payment infrastructure, aiming to minimize transaction friction and improve access to settlement systems. The investment in Speed aligns seamlessly with this approach, targeting enterprise payments within Bitcoin’s infrastructure.
This recent investment serves as a testament to Tether’s enduring commitment to fostering Bitcoin-focused payment solutions. The capabilities of the Lightning Network are regarded as ripe for larger scale commerce applications, backed by Speed’s substantial user base and transaction volume that demonstrate a growing market demand.
Ego Death Capital, which also participated in the funding round, signifies the wider interest surrounding layer-2 Bitcoin solutions, particularly those that merge efficiency with stability. The appeal of combining the rapid transactions offered by the Lightning Network with the reliability of stablecoin technology has attracted notable investor interest towards Speed.
