Tether Expands AI push with Lead Role in NEURA Robotics Raise

Tether is leading a funding round of as much as $1.4 billion for German tech company NEURA Robotics, deepening the stablecoin issuer’s push into artificial intelligence and robotics.

The round, which values NEURA at roughly $7 billion, is expected to include a mix of strategic and financial investors. Tether said it is leading the raise through its investment arm, which deploys capital from the company’s profits and excess reserves across sectors including AI, energy and digital infrastructure.

NEURA said it expects to integrate Tether’s Wallet Development Kit into its robotic systems, enabling machines to receive payments and execute transactions within predefined parameters. The companies also plan to deploy Tether’s QVAC AI runtime, which is designed to run models directly on devices rather than through cloud-based infrastructure.

Tweet from Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. Source: Tether on X.com

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Metzingen, Germany, NEURA Robotics develops humanoid robots, robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots and other AI-powered systems for industrial and commercial applications. It is building an ecosystem called Neuraverse, a software platform intended to connect robots, AI models, data and services.

The investment follows reports from November 2025 that Tether was considering a 1 billion euro ($1.15 billion) investment in the company. The Financial Times reported at the time that the deal could value the tech maker at between $9.3 billion and $11.6 billion, though neither company confirmed the discussions.

Today’s announcement did not disclose how much money Tether is contributing to the current funding round.

Related: Tether, Georgia plan lari-backed stablecoin GELT under new rules

Tether expands AI and payments push

The NEURA investment is part of Tether’s broader push beyond stablecoins into artificial intelligence, payments and emerging technologies. The company reported $1.04 billion in net profit during the first quarter of 2026 and said its excess reserves reached a record $8.23 billion, providing additional capital for investments outside its core USDT (USDT) business.

Source: DefiLlama

In recent months, Tether has accelerated its push into AI through its QVAC platform. In March, the company introduced a training framework that enables AI models to be trained and run on consumer hardware, including smartphones and non-Nvidia chips. Two months later, it unveiled QVAC MedPsy, a family of medical AI models designed to run directly on smartphones and other devices rather than through cloud-based infrastructure.

The company has also sought to expand the ecosystem around its technology stack. In May, Tether launched a grants program to fund developers building local-first AI and payment applications using its open-source tools, including QVAC and its Wallet Development Kit.

In a January 2025 interview, CEO Paolo Ardoino said AI-powered humanoid robots could become commonplace within the next decade as advances in computing and automation reshape the workforce.

Tether issues the $187 billion USDT stablecoin, which controls roughly 59% of the global stablecoin market, giving it one of the largest balance sheets in the digital asset industry.

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