Tether Leads $8 Million Investment in Speed to Expand Lightning-Based Stablecoin Payments
Tether has led an $8 million strategic investment in Speed1, Inc., with participation from Ego Death Capital. This funding is intended to support Speed's product development and the global expansion of its Lightning-native, stablecoin-powered payments ecosystem, including Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant.
Speed processes over $1.5 billion in annualized payment volume and serves approximately 1.2 million users and businesses. Its platform offers instant payments and native Bitcoin/USDT settlement with global routing capabilities. The company bridges Lightning networks with stablecoins to facilitate cross-border payments, creator payouts, and merchant settlements at scale, while maintaining price stability through USDT settlement.
The investment aligns with Tether's strategy to broaden USDT utility beyond trading, extending into everyday payments and enhancing Bitcoin-aligned infrastructure. This move also reflects growing interest among major digital-asset firms in real-world payments infrastructure, moving beyond trading activities.
Visa's recent announcement of stablecoin-based settlement across its US payments network further illustrates the broader industry momentum in integrating stablecoins into payments. According to Speed's leadership, the Lightning network offers speed, and stablecoins provide universal access and predictable value for consumers, creators, and merchants.
