Stablecoin giant Tether (USDT) ]led an $8 million funding round for Speed, a payments infrastructure company blending Bitcoin's (BTC) Lightning Network with stablecoin settlement.
Speed processes more than $1.5 billion in annual payment volume across consumers, creators, platforms and enterprise merchants.
The platform serves approximately 1.2 million users and businesses through its Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant products.
Ego Death Capital co-led the strategic investment round announced Tuesday.
What Happened
Speed routes payments over the Lightning Network for speed while enabling settlement in USDT for price stability.
The platform offers instant payments with native Bitcoin and USDT settlement options.
Users and businesses can choose between cryptocurrency exposure or stable digital dollar settlement depending on their needs.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the investment demonstrates how Lightning networks can power real commerce when paired with stable digital currency.
"Speed is showing what Lightning can achieve when paired with a stable, liquid digital dollar like USDT," Ardoino said in a statement.
Speed CEO Niraj Patel said the platform moves cryptocurrency beyond speculation into functional global payments.
"Lightning gives us speed; stablecoins give us universal access; our infrastructure brings it all together for consumers, creators, and merchants," Patel said.
The funding will support product development and continued global expansion.
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Why It Matters
The investment reflects Tether's strategy to strengthen Bitcoin-aligned financial infrastructure while expanding USDT utility beyond trading.
Tether reported more than $10 billion in profit during the first nine months of 2025.
Revenue stems primarily from interest earned on $135 billion in U.S. Treasury holdings backing USDT.
The company has aggressively deployed profits across diverse investments including agricultural firm Adecoagro, privacy-focused health platform QVAC Health, and video-sharing platform Rumble.
Speed's hybrid approach addresses key friction points in cross-border payments and merchant settlement.
The architecture combines low fees and global reach with compliance-focused design for mainstream commerce.
Lightning Network integration enables instant low-cost transactions while stablecoin settlement provides predictability for businesses requiring price stability.
The investment positions Speed to capture growing demand for practical cryptocurrency payment infrastructure in regions where traditional banking systems remain costly or inefficient.
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