Tether Invests $200M in Whop to Boost USDT Payments

Tether has invested $200 million in online marketplace Whop, aiming to expand stablecoin payments to more than 18 million users worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Tether invested $200 million in Whop, valuing the platform at $1.6 billion.
• Whop will integrate USDT, USAT, and Tether’s Wallet Development Kit.
• The platform serves 18.4 million users, with participants earning about $3 billion annually.
• Gross transaction volume is growing about 25% month over month.

What Happened?

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, has acquired a stake in digital marketplace Whop as part of a $200 million investment. The deal values Whop at $1.6 billion, according to CEO Steven Schwartz.

As part of the partnership, Whop will integrate Tether’s open source Wallet Development Kit, enabling stablecoin payments directly on the platform and introducing decentralized finance tools such as lending and borrowing.

Tether Expands Into Consumer Platforms

The investment marks another step in Tether’s strategy to push stablecoins deeper into real world economic activity. Whop operates a fast growing online marketplace where creators sell software tools, subscriptions, trading groups, and access to private communities on platforms such as Discord and Telegram.

Whop currently supports more than 18.4 million users, and participants earn approximately $3 billion per year. The company says its gross transaction volume is increasing roughly 25% monthly, reflecting strong global demand for digital commerce infrastructure.

By integrating USDT and the U.S. focused USAT token, Whop users will be able to hold and transact in digital dollars directly within the platform. The move is designed to reduce reliance on banks and card networks, especially in regions where traditional payment systems are costly or slow.

Wallet Development Kit Integration

A key component of the deal is Whop’s adoption of Tether’s Wallet Development Kit, or WDK. The open source framework enables self custodial wallets and seamless on chain settlement across multiple devices, including mobile, desktop, server systems, and smaller embedded systems.

Tether introduced WDK in October 2025, describing it as infrastructure built for people, machines, and AI agents. The integration will allow Whop to function as a self custodial digital wallet for its community while laying the groundwork for decentralized finance features.

The partnership is also expected to support lending and borrowing tools powered by decentralized finance infrastructure, effectively creating a non custodial banking layer within the marketplace.

Leadership Comments on the Deal

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said:

Whop CEO Steven Schwartz also emphasized the global nature of the partnership, stating:

Global Expansion Plans

The funding round will support Whop’s expansion across Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, while strengthening financial infrastructure for its international audience. The company also plans to introduce advanced AI tools aimed at enabling agentic income opportunities for online entrepreneurs.

Tether said its broader ecosystem now reaches more than 530 million users globally, with over $180 billion in issued digital dollars, providing liquidity to markets worldwide. The company has also made recent strategic investments, including backing interoperability protocol developer LayerZero Labs and the Hyperliquid application Dreamcash earlier in January 2026.

CoinLaw’s Takeaway

In my view, this is more than just another crypto investment. I see it as a clear push to embed stablecoins into everyday internet commerce. In my experience, payments are often the biggest barrier for creators outside the United States, and I found that platforms that solve settlement friction tend to scale quickly. If Whop successfully integrates USDT and DeFi tools without adding complexity for users, this could quietly become one of the most practical real world use cases for stablecoins.

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