Tether Leads $15 Million Funding Round for Mural
The investment fits Tether's broader push into AI and payments infrastructure, alongside stablecoins. Mural builds software for payments, identity checks, and compliance through banks and blockchains.
Key Takeaways
- Tether led a $15 million funding round in Mural, a startup that makes payments possible through banks and blockchains.
- The Series A round brought Mural's total capital raised to $28 million, with participation from North Island Ventures and existing investors.
- Mural builds infrastructure for accounts, payments, identity checks, and compliance, and focuses on AI-driven payments.
Tether led a $15 million (€13.4 million) funding round in Mural, a startup that builds software that lets payments flow through banks and blockchains. The investment fits the stablecoin issuer's broader move into AI and payments infrastructure.
Mural Raises More Capital
The Series A round also included North Island Ventures and existing investors. That brings the total amount raised for New York-based Mural to $28 million (€25 million), according to Tuesday's announcement.
Mural was founded by former Palantir engineers and provides infrastructure for accounts, payments, identity checks, and regulatory compliance. Its customers include payroll platform Deel and browser maker Opera. That puts the company at the intersection of fintech, traditional payment networks, and blockchain.
AI Payments Are Getting More Attention
The funding comes at a time when fintech companies are increasingly looking at so-called agentic finance, where AI systems can start and carry out transactions on behalf of a person or company. That makes questions around permission, control, and responsibility more important than in regular software.
Mural says companies can set transaction limits, restrict counterparties, and require extra approval for larger payments. In doing so, the company is trying to better address the risks around autonomous software that moves money.
Why This Matters
For European crypto and fintech readers, this deal shows that stablecoin companies are looking beyond just issuing tokens. Tether has been investing in AI and blockchain technology for some time, and is betting on payment use cases that can also work outside the crypto market. That could matter for companies working on new payment flows, compliance, and automation in financial services. An earlier test with stablecoins and AI payments also shows how quickly that combination is gaining ground in payments infrastructure.
