Tether Heads $8M Funding for Speed to Boost Lightning Stablecoin Payments

Tether has led an $8 million strategic investment in Speed1, Inc., aiming to scale Lightning-native, stablecoin-powered payments for global commerce. The move deepens Tether’s push into Bitcoin BTC $87 850 24h volatility: 2.5% Market cap: $1.75 T Vol. 24h: $52.69 B -aligned payment infrastructure, as USDT USDT $1.00 24h volatility: 0.0% Market cap: $186.29 B Vol. 24h: $81.72 B adoption on the Bitcoin Lightning network accelerates.

Tether and ego death capital co-led Speed’s $8 million funding round, announced on December 16, 2025. Speed operates payment rails built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins, targeting instant, low-fee settlement for consumers, creators, platforms, and enterprise merchants.

The company processes over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume through its products, serving around 1.2 million users and businesses. Its stack offers native BTC and USDT settlement, plus high-reliability global routing designed for enterprise integrations and cross-border flows, according to the announcement.

Tether framed the Speed deal as part of a broader strategy to support Bitcoin-based financial rails and expand USDT’s role in real-world payments.

CEO Paolo Ardoino said Speed demonstrates how Lightning, paired with a stable digital dollar such as USDT, can reduce friction and prepare Bitcoin-rooted networks for mainstream commerce.

Lightning Network Gains Stablecoin Momentum

Stablecoin activity on the Lightning Network has picked up since Tether confirmed plans to bring USDT to Bitcoin’s base layer and Lightning using Lightning Labs’ Taproot Assets protocol in early 2025. The integration allows USDT issuance on Bitcoin and routing over Lightning, reducing costs and settlement times for remittances, small-value payments, and cross-border transfers.

Moreover, consumer apps are adopting Lightning and stablecoins: Block’s Cash App is rolling out Lightning-enabled Bitcoin USD payments and stablecoin support, with USD balance interoperability, in November 2025.

Tether’s Recent Pushes in Payments and Infrastructure

The Speed round adds to a string of Tether investments aimed at expanding USDT’s payments footprint. In February 2025, Tether announced a strategic investment in Zengo wallet to extend stablecoin access and self-custody tools for more than 1.5 million users across Bitcoin, Ethereum ETH $2 950 24h volatility: 1.3% Market cap: $355.04 B Vol. 24h: $26.54 B , Tron, and other chains. In April, the company backed Fizen, a self-custodial payments protocol designed to enable everyday stablecoin spending without banks or third parties.

In November 2025, Tether also invested in Bitcoin-backed lender Ledn to expand credit products that keep customers in self-custody and use USDT and BTC as collateral. Separately, the firm has been developing in Latin America through Parfin to support institutional USDT settlement, tokenization, and cross-border payments.

Across these bets, Tether is strengthening its Bitcoin-compatible, multi-chain infrastructure while narrowing its focus to payments, remittances, and savings products linked to USDT. With USDT now more closely tied to Bitcoin and Lightning, and with dedicated partners like Speed building native rails, the stablecoin issuer is working to anchor dollar-denominated liquidity within the Bitcoin ecosystem rather than solely on smart contract chains.

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