In a move that could reshape cross-chain payments, a new tether investment is backing the expansion of LayerZero Labs’ interoperability infrastructure across the digital asset ecosystem.
Tether backs LayerZero Labs with new strategic capital
On 10 February, 2026, Tether Investments announced a new strategic stake in LayerZero Labs, the development company behind a leading interoperability protocol. The deal underlines Tether’s push to back production-grade cross-chain infrastructure used by exchanges, protocols, and institutions worldwide.
Combined with the Wallet Development Kit (WDK) developed by Tether, this stack is positioned as a core rail for digital asset payments, settlements, and custody. Moreover, it is designed from the ground up for agentic finance, enabling AI agents to manage autonomous wallets and transact with stablecoins and other digital assets at scale.
LayerZero’s infrastructure underpins USDt0 and XAUt0
LayerZero Labs is behind one of the most widely used bridging frameworks in the market, providing the core technology that lets digital assets move securely and efficiently across blockchains. Over the past year, its interoperability stack has been used by Everdawn Labs to build and launch USDt0 and XAUt0 under live market conditions.
These assets are built on LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token standard, which enables tokens to move across multiple chains without being fragmented into wrapped versions. That said, the focus is not only on technical elegance but also on delivering liquidity that behaves as a single pool, regardless of which network users interact with.
Since launch, USDt0 has supported more than $70 billion in cross-chain value transfers in under twelve months. This real-world throughput has been highlighted by Tether and LayerZero as evidence of global-scale interoperability and validation of LayerZero Labs’ technology as critical infrastructure for major assets.
Strategic rationale behind the new tether investment
The new tether investment reflects Tether’s confidence in LayerZero Labs’ engineering capability and execution record. Moreover, it underscores the firm’s view that interoperability is fast becoming foundational infrastructure for the digital asset market, rather than an optional add-on.
The commitment aligns with Tether’s wider strategy of backing systems that reduce fragmentation, improve liquidity efficiency, and allow stablecoins to function as global settlement instruments. In practice, that means supporting networks where the same asset can move seamlessly across diverse blockchain environments without splintered liquidity or complex user experience.
Executive views on interoperability and agentic AI
“Tether invests in infrastructure that is already delivering real-world utility,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “LayerZero Labs has built interoperability technology that allows digital assets to be transferred in real-time across any transport layer and distributed ledger, enabling a fundamental utility within the financial industry.”
Ardoino added that this infrastructure is designed to support an emerging economy driven by autonomous agents: “This enables digital assets to serve the infinite agentic AI economy that will require such primitives to orchestrate micro-payments at an unprecedented scale.” However, he stressed that the focus remains on robust, proven infrastructure rather than experimental systems.
“Tether is a company the world envies. They have turned a vision of borderless money into a reality,” said Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero. “The success of USDt0 was an important stepping stone. Having Tether deepen its commitment with this investment is the ultimate validation.” Pellegrino said the two firms are “thrilled to continue building the rails for global permissionless markets together.”
Role of Tether Investments in the wider ecosystem
Tether Investments operates as the independent investment arm of Tether, which it describes as the largest company in the digital assets industry. Based in El Salvador, the firm deploys capital from Tether’s profits and excess reserves into sectors where technology, infrastructure, and real-world utility converge.
Its portfolio spans artificial intelligence, financial services, energy, biotechnology, education, and digital media. Furthermore, it holds strategic positions in areas such as commodities, remittances, and sports and entertainment, often targeting projects that can scale globally.
Through these investments, Tether Investments aims to back ventures with long-term potential to improve access, efficiency, and resilience in both emerging and developed markets. The unit’s mandate supports Tether Group’s broader mission to strengthen decentralized systems, enhance infrastructure resilience, and widen real-world access to open, transparent technologies.
Overall, the new capital backing for LayerZero Labs underlines Tether’s view that cross-chain interoperability, agentic finance, and scalable settlement rails will be central pillars of the next phase of digital asset and stablecoin adoption.
Source: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2026/02/10/tether-investment-layerzero-crosschain/
