Key Highlights
- Tether invested in EFY Finance’s seed round to support institutional stablecoin services across Latin America.
- EFY Finance says it serves more than 25,000 active individual and business accounts and supports settlement to local accounts in 17 countries.
- Tether cited Chainalysis data showing nearly $1.5 trillion in cryptocurrency transaction volume across Latin America between July 2022 and June 2025.
Tether has invested in Latin American financial infrastructure company EFY Finance as part of its seed funding round, supporting the company’s plans to expand stablecoin-based payment services for businesses and financial institutions.
In an announcement published on October 13, Tether said the investment would support EFY Finance’s regional expansion. The company provides services involving USDT and USA₮, including accounts, wallets, cards, custody and over-the-counter (OTC) transactions.
Tether did not disclose the size of its investment or the total amount raised in EFY Finance’s seed round.
EFY Finance reports 25,000 active accounts
EFY Finance says it serves more than 25,000 active individual and business accounts and supports settlement to local accounts in 17 countries. The company is licensed as a Digital Asset Service Provider in El Salvador.
Tether said EFY Finance operates in Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Ecuador. The investment is intended to support the company’s expansion across the region.
Ardoino comments on stablecoin demand in Latin America
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino linked demand for dollar-backed stablecoins in Latin America to inflation, currency volatility and capital controls.
“Across Latin America, the US dollar is a lifeline against inflation and capital controls. USD₮ and USA₮ are how people access it, but doing so simply and reliably takes regulated infrastructure, banking connections, and real distribution.”
EFY Finance CEO highlights payment infrastructure needs
Andrés Tobón, co-founder and CEO of EFY Finance, said businesses need ways to connect stablecoins with the financial systems they already use.
“The challenge now is making them work seamlessly with the financial systems businesses use every day. That means connecting digital dollars with bank accounts, local payment networks, cards, and cross-border settlement.”
The announcement did not specify any new banking partnerships, payment corridors or product launch dates.
Latin America recorded nearly $1.5 trillion in crypto activity
Tether cited Chainalysis data showing that Latin America recorded nearly $1.5 trillion in cryptocurrency transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2025. Tether also said stablecoin purchases accounted for more than half of exchange purchases in the region.
The figures cover cryptocurrency activity broadly and do not show how much involved payments, remittances or trading. Tether did not disclose EFY Finance’s own transaction volume.
USDT and USA₮ have different issuers
The investment covers infrastructure supporting both USDT and USA₮, but the stablecoins have different issuers and regulatory structures.
USDT is Tether’s dollar-linked stablecoin. USA₮ is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., a federally chartered U.S. bank. Tether says it supported the launch of USA₮, which is designed for the U.S. market.
Tether’s announcement did not explain how USA₮ will be used across EFY Finance’s Latin American services or identify which countries will support it first.
Tether Also Explores Stablecoin Use Cases in Kazakhstan
The EFY Finance investment follows a separate agreement announced on October 7, when Tether signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the Alatau City Authority.
As previously reported, the agreement will explore tenge-based digital payments, real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications connected to Alatau’s planned Crypto City ecosystem.
The EFY Finance deal involves an investment in an existing financial infrastructure company, while the Kazakhstan MoU outlines potential cooperation with public-sector bodies. Neither announcement confirms a launch date for new products.
Also Read: S&P Dow Jones Indices, Kaiko Enable First On-Chain OTC Swap Tied to Tokenized Benchmark
