The post Tether expands USD₮ into institutional payments infrastructure with t-0 network investment appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Tether has announced a strategic investment in t-0 network, a USD₮-powered settlement platform designed for licensed financial institutions, marking a further push to extend the stablecoin into cross-border payments infrastructure. The initiative aims to enable near-instant, net-settled fiat-to-fiat transfers between banks and fintechs, using USD₮ as the underlying settlement layer.  The system is positioned as a non-custodial network. It records and matches transactions across participating institutions before settling net balances on-chain. From trading liquidity to settlement use cases USD₮ has long played a central role in crypto market liquidity, particularly during periods of market stress.  Tether’s move into payments infrastructure reflects a broader effort to adapt stablecoin usage toward settlement and treasury functions. Paolo Ardoino, chief executive of Tether, said the investment was intended to address inefficiencies in international payments rather than target consumer-facing use cases. “The t-0 network directly addresses the complexity of international payments by combining real-time settlement, cost efficiency, FX transparency, and global reach,” Ardoino said, adding that Tether aims to support infrastructure that can scale across regulated markets. Why the timing matters The announcement follows a period in which USD₮ supply expanded even as the broader crypto market contracted.  In the final quarter of 2025, Tether’s circulating supply grew while overall crypto market capitalization fell sharply. This suggests capital rotation into stablecoins rather than a full withdrawal from on-chain markets. That divergence has reinforced USD₮’s role as a defensive liquidity layer, helping explain why settlement-oriented infrastructure is now a strategic focus. Institutional focus over retail adoption Unlike consumer payment applications, the t-0 network is explicitly designed for banks and regulated financial institutions.  It connects participants through a single API and settles only net balances in each institution’s chosen currency, reducing prefunding requirements and limiting foreign exchange exposure. James Brownlee, chief executive of t-0 network, said the…

---

Filed under: News - @ February 7, 2026 12:26 am