Tether Investments announced a strategic investment in Ark Labs, the development team behind Arkade, a programmable infrastructure platform designed to operate on the Bitcoin network. 

The investment was part of a $5.2 million funding round, according to the companies.

Ark Labs is developing infrastructure intended to enable programmable transactions on Bitcoin for users and financial institutions. 

The company states that Arkade is designed to function as an open execution layer capable of supporting financial applications such as payments and other digital asset services built on Bitcoin.

Following the latest funding round, Ark Labs reported that its total funding has reached $7.7 million. 

The company said the capital will support continued development of its infrastructure and efforts to expand access to Bitcoin-based financial systems for both retail and institutional participants.

Tether stated that its investment is intended to support the development of stablecoin infrastructure on Bitcoin. 

According to the company, the collaboration aims to improve the technical framework required to issue and settle stablecoins on the network and expand accessibility to USD₮.

“Stablecoins were born on Bitcoin, and expanding access on the Bitcoin network remains a priority for us,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. 

“Ark Labs is building infrastructure that makes it easier to issue, move, and settle stablecoins directly on Bitcoin. Improving access to USD₮ on the most secure and widely recognized blockchain supports greater financial inclusion, more efficient cross-border payments, and stronger global liquidity.”

Ark Labs said its infrastructure is intended to address limitations that have historically made it more difficult to build programmable financial applications directly on the Bitcoin network.

“Bitcoin is the most liquid digital asset in the world, but it has lacked the programmable infrastructure that financial applications require,” said Marco Argentieri, CEO of Ark Labs. 

“Arkade changes that. Our partners are building payments, lending, and digital assets solutions on Bitcoin, and Tether’s involvement will be key to accelerate these efforts.”

Tether said the investment is part of its broader strategy of supporting infrastructure projects within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

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