Key takeaways
- Tether led an $8 million funding round for Speed1, Inc., to support the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoin payment infrastructure.
- Speed enables over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume with instant settlement of BTC and USDT for consumers and merchants.
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pregnancy Announce On Tuesday, the company made a strategic investment in Speed, a payments infrastructure provider that leverages the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins for instant settlement.
Tether led Speed’s $8 million funding round alongside Ego Death Capital, backing a platform that already processes more than $1.5 billion in annual payments volume.
Speed’s products serve over 1 million users and businesses, offering instant payments through native BTC and USDT settlements across consumers, creators, platforms, and institutional merchants.
“The speed shows what Lightning can achieve when paired with a stable, liquid digital dollar like USDT,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “We support teams in building a workable infrastructure that reduces friction in payments and expands access to reliable settlement rails. The speed of implementation and adoption indicates that Bitcoin-rooted networks are ready for mainstream commerce.”
“Cryptocurrencies have lived in a speculative world for a very long time,” said Neeraj Patel, CEO of Speed1, Inc. “Speed makes them usable – instantly, globally and at scale. Lightning gives us speed; stablecoins give us global reach; and our infrastructure brings it all together for consumers, creators and merchants.”
The investment reflects Tether’s commitment to expanding Bitcoin-compatible infrastructure and increasing the utility of USDT beyond trading, positioning Lightning-based networks as viable settlement bars for global commerce.
