Latam Insights: Inside Tether’s $20M Bet on Brazil, Operation Veil of Maya, and the Stablecoin Hold Dispute
Summary
Tether invested $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin to support growth across payments infrastructure, tokenized investment products, and on-chain capital markets in Latin America. The deal also included SoftBank and signals continued interest in regulated crypto and fintech platforms in the region. The article also covers a Brazilian police operation that targeted an illegal betting and crypto laundering network. In addition, ABcripto challenged Brazil’s proposed 24-hour stablecoin hold, arguing that the rule would slow legitimate transactions and needs more market study.
Funding
Amount
$20.0M
Total raised
Date
July 12, 2026
Announcement date
Investors
SoftBank
Lead investors
Company
mercadobitcoin.com.br
Funded company
Classifications
industries
Fintech & Banking
applications
ERP & Process Management
AskAI Classifications
Labels
FinTech Software
Trading Platform Software
API Management
Linked Companies
MERCADO BITCOIN SERVIÇOS DIGITAIS LTDA.
$1M to $5M