Dubai, UAE, March 6th, 2026, Chainwire
Utexo makes Bitcoin-native stablecoin settlement practical, predictable, and easy to integrate
Utexo Raises a $7.5M Seed Round
Utexo now announces the raise of a $7.5M seed round. The round was co-led by Tether, Big Brain Holdings, and Portal Ventures.
Other backers taking part include:
- Franklin Templeton
- Maven11 Capital
- Fulgur Ventures
- Alchemy VC
- Ethereal Ventures
- Auros Ventures
- Arcanum Capital
- Paper Ventures
- Axia8
- FlowTraders
- Plan B
- Gate Ventures
- Sats Ventures
Angel backers also joined. They include people from:
Why Utexo Was Founded
Bitcoin has always been central to Tether’s long-term vision for USDT. But making that idea real needed infrastructure that did not yet exist.
Utexo was founded to build that solution. Its aim is to enable Bitcoin-native stablecoin settlement with strong, production-ready payment rails.
“Bitcoin has always been central to Tether’s long-term vision for USDT,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Market cycles come and go, but the need for open and resilient settlement infrastructure remains constant. What has been missing is production-ready infrastructure that makes Bitcoin-native stablecoin settlement viable at scale. Utexo provides that layer.
By enabling native USDT settlement directly over Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, with predictable costs and seamless integration, it strengthens Bitcoin’s position as a global settlement rail for real-world dollar transactions. This is about reinforcing open infrastructure and giving businesses a more reliable foundation for moving value worldwide.”
One API for Bitcoin, Lightning and RGB
Lightning Network and RGB have unlocked powerful features on Bitcoin. But they have stayed very hard to deploy and run in production. Utexo’s role is to hide that complexity.
Utexo provides a single API layer. Through it, payment operators can route USDT settlement directly over Bitcoin-native rails. They do not need to:
- Handle the hard tech choices underneath
- Rebuild their apps for users
- Change how they hold funds or run compliance checks
Our guide to Bitcoin layer 2 networks explains how layers like Lightning work.
“We built Utexo so that USDT could move on Bitcoin the way money is supposed to move: instantly, privately, with no surprises on costs,” said Chris Hutchinson, Co-founder of Utexo.
“Utexo combines Bitcoin, Lightning, and RGB into a usable payment stack. Our partners integrate our API once and can route USDT natively on the most resilient open network ever built, with full control over their cost structure. No existing rail offers this degree of flexibility.”
“For the first time, wallets will be able to offer their users free USDT transactions,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, Co-founder of Utexo.
“Utexo provides a built-in growth flywheel: wallets grow their user base, while USDT bootstraps adoption on Bitcoin. The divorce between the two most important digital assets is finally over. After more than a decade, we’re bringing USDT back home.”
Fixed Fees, Fast and Private Settlement
The system lets USDT settle right on Bitcoin. For the first time, USDT is also on the Lightning Network.
Key features include:
- Fixed fees: Fees are fixed and known ahead of time for every payment. They stay the same however busy the network is.
- Costs in USDT: Fees are paid in USDT. They do not rise when the network is busy.
- Fast settlement: Each payment settles in one step and in private. It is backed by Bitcoin’s security. It is done in under 1 second.
- Private execution: Other networks show every payment in public. Utexo writes only encrypted data on-chain. So who pays whom, and their wallet addresses, stay private.
Partners can move stablecoin volume without exposure to fee swings or congestion risk. They also avoid the weaker trust assumptions of fully public ledgers, bridges, and wrapped assets.
Who Utexo Is Built For
Utexo has designed its infrastructure for firms already moving large volumes of USDT:
- Payment service providers
- Exchanges
- Wallets
- High-frequency trading firms
- Platforms that pay merchants, send payouts, move money across borders and serve global trade
Utexo is not trying to bootstrap new L2 solutions or chase speculative demand. Its go-to-market plan is to route existing USDT flows onto Bitcoin, as infrastructure finally catches up with long-standing needs.
Stablecoins are steadily replacing legacy payment rails worldwide. Utexo makes it possible for Bitcoin to work as a real settlement layer for dollar payments. This brings Tether’s long-standing vision for native USDT on Bitcoin into production for the first time. For live market data, see the Bitcoin price page.
For more information on Utexo’s Bitcoin-native USDT settlement infrastructure and upcoming integrations, users can visit source and follow on X,source
About Utexo
Utexo is a layer built on Bitcoin. It runs and settles stablecoin payments. It joins two tools. Lightning Network makes payments instant. RGB lets assets be issued in a private way.
Utexo’s API and SDK let payment firms send USDT at once. Costs are known ahead of time. Each payment is full and private.
About Tether
Tether is the trailblazer in stablecoin tech. It wants to build a money system that is open to more people and works better.
As the issuer of the most widely used stablecoin, USDT, Tether offers a secure, fast, and low-cost solution for digital asset transactions.
Tether is open about how it works. It often shares outside checks of its reserves. It also aims to build value for the long term. It does this by investing in tech, infrastructure, and real-world assets.
Contact
Jon Phillips
Utexo
Utexo@PhillComm.Global
This is a press release / sponsored content. Read our Sponsored Content Policy. This article is not intended as financial advice. Educational purposes only.
