Tether, the issuer of the $USDT stablecoin, has announced an $8 million strategic investment in Speed, a payments infrastructure company building instant, worldwide settlement rails using the Bitcoin ($BTC) Lightning Network and stablecoins. The primary objective of this investment is to accelerate fast, low-cost, Lightning Network-based stablecoin payments for real-world global transactions.
Speed spends almost $1.5 billion in annual payment volume across consumers, creators, platforms, and enterprise merchants. In addition, more than 1.2 million users and businesses are being facilitated by its products, providing immediate payments, native $BTC and $USDT settlement, and high-reliability global routing for enterprise collaborations. Tether has revealed this news through its official X account.
Tether Fuels the Future of Bitcoin Payments with Lightning-Native Stablecoin Strategy
Tether’s investment aids its wide strategy to empower Bitcoin-aligned financial infrastructure and proliferate $ USDT in real-world payment ecosystems. Speed’s architecture clarifies the exact functionality of lightning and stablecoins for the movement of money on a large scale with low fees, strong compliance, and global access.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, expressed his thoughts by saying that, “Speed is showing what Lightning can achieve when paired with a stable, liquid digital dollar like USDT. 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.”
Tether and Speed Bring Lightning-Fast, Stablecoin-Powered Payments to Everyday Use
The combination of Tether and Speed enables stablecoin settlement more easily for users and merchants who demand price stability. Moreover, this integration minimizes friction for cross-border transactions, creator payouts, merchant payments, and platform-based settlement.
In the response of Paolo Ardoino, Niraj Patel, CEO of Speed1, Inc., said, “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.”
ShahZaib Ahmed is a seasoned Crypto Journalist passionate about cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and decentralized finance (DeFi). With years of experience in the industry, ShahZaib Ahmed has written extensive news articles, price analysis articles and guide articles on Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3, and FinTech. Known for insightful analysis and a keen understanding of market trends, he brings complex concepts to life for beginners and seasoned investors.





