Utexo Raises $7.5M to Launch Bitcoin-Native USDT Payment Infrastructure
Utexo, the first Bitcoin-native stablecoin residential infrastructure, announced a $7.5 million seed round led by Tether, Big Brain Holdings, and Portal Ventures.
The round also included participation from Franklin Templeton, Maven11 Capital, Fulgur Ventures, Alchemy VC, Ethereal Ventures, Auros Ventures, Arcanum Capital, Paper Ventures, Axia8, FlowTraders, Plan B, Gate Ventures, Sats Ventures, and strategic angels including Operator, BTC, Ledger, Ledger, Ledger, LV, Hyper Ventures.
The company was founded to address an existing gap in the cryptocurrency ecosystem: enabling USDT to anchor Bitcoin with stable, production-ready bonds. Tether’s
The CEO, Paolo Ardoino, said that Bitcoin has been central to the long-term vision of the USDT stablecoin issuer. “Market cycles come and go, but the need for infrastructure to stay open and robust remains the same,” Ardoino said.
He added that Utexo provides a layer that enables Bitcoin-native USDT to stay alive at scale, strengthening the role of Bitcoin as a global settlement rail for real-world dollar transactions.
Historically, the Lightning Network and RGB protocols have provided the technical power for Bitcoin-based payments, but their complexity has limited adoption in production environments. Utexo shortens these complexities behind a single API layer, allowing payment operators to move USDT payments over native Bitcoin rails without changing custody, transaction compatibility, or user experience.
Chris Hutchinson, the founder of Utexo, explained the value proposition of the system: “We created Utexo so that USDT can move to Bitcoin the way money should move: quickly, privately, without being surprised by the cost. Our partners integrate our API and can move USDT to the most open network ever built, with complete control of the cost structure.”
Viktor Ihnatiuk, co-founder, added that the infrastructure allows wallets to offer free USDT transactions while promoting the adoption of Bitcoin’s native stablecoins.
The infrastructure supports atomic correction, privacy-preserving usage, and predictable payments for every transaction, regardless of network congestion.
Payments are made in USDT and are based on Bitcoin’s security model, completed in less than one second. Utexo encrypts all transactions on-chain, prevents the disclosure of wallet addresses and wallet addresses, separates them from public transaction graphs in other networks.
Tether and Bitcoin
By providing a reliable, predictable settlement layer, the company enables Bitcoin to act as an efficient railroad for dollar payments, enhancing Tether’s vision of native USDT to Bitcoin.
In February, Tether open-sourced MiningOS (MOS), a modular operating system for managing and automating bitcoin mining operations, was unveiled at the 2026 Plan ₿ Forum in San Salvador.
The system provides unified control over hardware, power, and site infrastructure using a peer-to-peer architecture, reducing reliance on proprietary or centralized software.
Aimed at exchanges, wallets, payment service providers, high-frequency trading firms, and platforms that handle large amounts of USDT, Utexo focuses on managing stablecoin flows that exist in Bitcoin rather than introducing speculative L2 solutions.
