Tether Invests $200 Million in Whop to Expand Stablecoin Payments

Cross-border remittances have long relied on multilayered bank settlement through SWIFT, a process that often takes several days and carries high fees. Founded in 2021, LemFi focuses on remittances sent by migrant workers in Europe and the United States to markets in Africa and Asia. It raised $53 million in a Series B round in January 2025, bringing total funding to $85 million, and was processing more than $1 billion in transactions each month at the time. That has made it an important channel for bringing stablecoins into real-world payments.

On May 18, 2026, USDT issuer Tether announced an undisclosed strategic investment in LemFi. LemFi will introduce USDT as a settlement layer across major remittance corridors in Africa and Asia, gradually replacing the SWIFT chain that takes several days. The companies said the new infrastructure could reduce settlement times for transfers from Europe and the United States to Africa and Asia to near-instant while lowering costs, serving more than 1 million users.

Belo was founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2021. Its stablecoin-based infrastructure integrates payments, currency exchange and cross-border transfers, allowing users to hold and move local currency and digital dollars. Latin America has long faced high inflation, exchange-rate volatility and elevated remittance costs, making such services important to the efficient movement of funds for individuals and businesses.

Belo announced a $14 million Series A funding round on April 28, 2026, led by USDT issuer Tether, with participation from Titan Fund, The Venture City, Mindset Ventures and G2. Belo has more than 3 million users. The funds will support expansion into Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay, as well as a deeper presence in Brazil.

Ark Labs is developing Arkade, a Bitcoin execution layer designed to address the main blockchain’s limitations in transaction speed and programmability. It allows wallets, fintech companies and institutions to build payment, lending and digital asset services. The initiative could enable stablecoins such as USDT to be issued, transferred and settled directly through Bitcoin, expanding their use in payments.

On March 12, 2026, Tether announced its participation in Ark Labs’ $5.2 million seed funding round. The figure represents the total raised in the round, and Tether’s individual investment was not disclosed. Sats Ventures, Contribution Capital and Anchorage Digital were among the other participants, bringing Ark Labs’ total funding to $7.7 million. The proceeds will be used to expand Arkade, the team and partnerships.

Tether, the issuer of USDT, the world's largest U.S. dollar stablecoin, has in recent years invested operating profits in fields including AI, biotechnology and brain-computer interfaces. Eight Sleep develops smart mattress systems that track sleep and regulate bed temperature. The partnership shows Tether extending capital accumulated through its cryptocurrency business into personalized healthcare and edge AI.

On March 4, 2026, Tether Investments announced that it had led a $50 million strategic financing round for Eight Sleep, valuing the company at $1.5 billion—three times its $500 million valuation in 2021. The companies will use Tether's QVAC architecture to develop on-device AI health-monitoring and predictive features, moving Eight Sleep's products beyond sleep optimization toward proactive health management.