Tether Leads $8 Million Investment in Lightning-Powered Payments Startup Speed

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, announced a strategic investment in Speed1, Inc. (“Speed”), a payments infrastructure company leveraging the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins to build instant, global settlement rails.

Tether led the company’s $8 million funding round alongside ego death capital, signaling a strong push to expand Bitcoin-aligned financial infrastructure and increase the real-world utility of USDT.

Speed provides payment solutions for a diverse range of users, including consumers, creators, platforms, and enterprise merchants. The company processes over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume and serves roughly 1.2 million users through its Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant products.

These tools enable near-instant settlement in both bitcoin and USDT while offering global routing capabilities optimized for enterprise-level integrations.

The company’s architecture combines Lightning-based transaction execution with stablecoin settlement, addressing key challenges in cross-border payments such as speed, cost, and price volatility. 

This combination allows users and merchants to transact efficiently while maintaining price stability when required, making it suitable for international transfers, creator payouts, merchant payments, and platform-level settlements.

Bitcoins Bitcoin networks are ready for mainstream commerce 

“Speed is showing what Lightning can achieve when paired with a stable, liquid digital dollar like USDT,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.

 “We support teams building practical infrastructure that reduces friction in payments and expands access to reliable settlement rails. Speed’s execution and adoption signal that Bitcoin-rooted networks are ready for mainstream commerce,” Ardoino said. 

Niraj Patel, CEO of Speed, added, “Crypto has lived in the world of speculation for too long. Speed is making it usable – instantly, globally, and at scale. Lightning gives us speed; stablecoins give us universal access; our infrastructure brings it all together for consumers, creators, and merchants.”

Bitcoins Tether likes to hold bitcoin 

This move aligns with Tether’s ongoing diversification strategy. Earlier this year, the company acquired nearly 8,889 BTC, bringing its primary treasury holdings to over 86,000 BTC, and expanded into physical assets such as gold and agribusiness through a 70 percent stake in Adecoagro. 

Per BitcoinTreasuries.net, Tether holds 87,475 bitcoin. 

Per the companies, the $8 million funding will support Speed’s infrastructure expansion and additional integrations with merchants and platforms, further solidifying its role in building the next generation of global financial rails anchored in Bitcoin and USDT.