💰 Utexo Raises $7.5M to Enable Native USDT Settlement on Bitcoin Infrastructure startup Utexo has raised $7.5 million in a seed round co-led by Tether, Big Brain Holdings, and Portal Ventures, with participation from several major crypto and financial investors including Franklin Templeton, Maven11 Capital, and Fulgur Ventures.The project aims to build infrastructure that enables native settlement of the Tether stablecoin directly on the Bitcoin network. The system combines technologies such as the Lightning Network and the RGB protocol, integrating them through a unified API layer designed for payment providers, exchanges, and wallets.According to Paolo Ardoino, the initiative strengthens Bitcoin’s role as a global settlement rail for dollar-denominated transactions by enabling predictable fees and scalable payment infrastructure. Transactions on the system can reportedly settle in under one second, with costs fixed and paid directly in USDT. Utexo co-founder Chris Hutchinson explained that the platform merges Bitcoin, Lightning, and RGB technologies into a unified payment stack. This approach allows partners to route USDT payments through Bitcoin-native rails without having to manage the complexity of underlying infrastructure or modify existing custody and compliance workflows.The architecture also emphasizes transaction privacy by writing only encrypted data to the blockchain, reducing the exposure of counterparties and wallet activity compared to fully transparent public ledgers.Utexo is targeting payment service providers, exchanges, wallets, and high-volume platforms handling merchant settlements, payouts, and cross-border transfers. The team believes the infrastructure could help position Bitcoin as a practical settlement layer for global dollar payments. Full text of the news is available on our news portal https://t.co/zPCES173AR #Bitcoin #USDT #LightningNetwork #Stablecoins #cryptemic #cryptemicacademy