Tether, the world’s largest issuer of stablecoins, has taken a strategic step to deepen its presence in Latin America’s fast-expanding digital asset market with an investment in Parfin, a regional platform focused on institutional-grade custody, tokenisation, trading and digital asset management.
The move underscores Tether’s ambition to position its USD₮ token at the centre of cross-border settlement and emerging blockchain-based financial infrastructure in one of the most dynamic markets for crypto adoption.
The investment marks a notable escalation in Tether’s campaign to shift USD₮ from its traditional role as a liquidity instrument for crypto exchanges to a core settlement asset for financial institutions. The company said it sees growing demand across global trade flows, real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation, and yield-oriented credit markets, including trade finance, commercial receivables and credit card portfolios, where faster, programmable and lower-cost settlement mechanisms are increasingly sought by regulated institutions.
Parfin is a key infrastructure provider
Parfin, founded to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital asset markets, provides the infrastructure that Tether believes is needed to support this shift. The company has built a platform aimed at simplifying digital asset adoption while preserving institutional-level compliance, privacy and security.
Parfin’s technology is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing financial workflows, enabling tokenised assets and blockchain-based settlement to be deployed at scale without compromising regulatory standards.
Executives from both companies framed the partnership as a pivotal step toward advancing responsible innovation in a region that has become an early proving ground for blockchain-enabled financial services.
Unrestricted access to financial freedom
Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s chief executive, said the investment aligns with the company’s broader objective of promoting “global, unrestricted access to financial freedom” and building stronger connections between traditional financial systems and blockchain technology. Parfin, he added, has demonstrated a “strong commitment to bridging this gap”, particularly at a time when Latin America is emerging as one of the leading global centres for digital asset innovation.
Parfin’s co-founder and chief executive, Marcos Viriato, described Tether’s investment as a validation of the company’s long-term strategy. He highlighted the development of the Parfin Platform and Rayls (the firm’s proprietary infrastructure for on-chain settlement) as key components of its goal to bring institutional financial systems onto blockchain rails in a secure and compliant manner.
Integrating USD₮ into these systems, he said, will accelerate the adoption of tokenisation and broaden the range of institutional applications in the region.
Tether has timed this right
Recent data suggests the timing may be opportune. According to the 2025 Chainalysis Geography of Cryptocurrency Report, Latin America recorded nearly $1.5tn in cryptocurrency transaction volume, cementing its position as one of the world’s most active regions for digital asset flows.
Institutional participation has been a major driver of this growth, supported by regulatory developments in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, where policymakers are creating clearer frameworks for the use of blockchain technology in capital markets and payments.
For Tether, the expansion into institutional settlement markets offers a path to more durable (and potentially more regulated) demand for its flagship stablecoin. For Parfin, the partnership provides global backing at a time when competition among digital asset infrastructure providers is intensifying.
