Overview
- Multiple outlets reported on Thursday that Tether committed $20 million to Ualá as part of the neobank’s $197 million funding round that values the company at about $3.2 billion.
- Ualá CEO Pierpaolo Barbieri said the investment is strictly financial because regulations in Argentina and Mexico prevent immediate integration of USDT into the bank’s products.
- Based on the announced valuation, the reported $20 million would equal roughly a 0.6% post‑money stake, though neither company published full ownership or governance terms.
- The Ualá deal follows recent Tether investments in Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin and Argentine payments wallet Belo, and the company funds these moves with excess income from assets backing USDT.
- For Latin American users who face high inflation and weak local currencies, Tether’s equity push could widen future access to stablecoin payments if regulators change course, and analysts say regulators and pilots such as corporate treasury tests will determine when that happens.