Wu learned that Tether officially announced it will invest $20 million in the strategic growth funding round of Brazilian on-chain financial services platform Mercado Bitcoin. Founded in 2013, Mercado Bitcoin initially operated as a digital asset trading platform and has since expanded its business to areas such as tokenized investment products, credit, stablecoin payments, banking infrastructure, and cross-border financial services. Tether stated that Mercado Bitcoin currently serves 4.5 million users, has issued over 2 billion Brazilian reais (approximately $370 million) in tokenized assets, and holds more than 10 licenses in Brazil and Europe. The funds from this round will be used to expand payment infrastructure, tokenized investment products, lending and credit capabilities, on-chain capital markets, and international expansion.