Mercado Bitcoin, a leading Latin American digital asset platform, has successfully deployed over $20 million in tokenized private credit on the Bitcoin sidechain, Rootstock. This strategic move is a key part of the company's expansion into real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and its broader multichain strategy. The company aims to reach a total of $100 million in private credit issuances by April 2026.
The tokenized offerings represent a mix of receivables and corporate debt. Notably, the underlying borrowers include both Brazilian companies and foreign firms, with Mercado Bitcoin explicitly issuing debt for an American company. Lucas Pinsdorf, business director at Mercado Bitcoin, highlighted this cross-border element, stating, "What is particularly interesting is that these are not limited to Brazilian companies. Mercado Bitcoin also chose to issue debt for an American company."
The initial $20 million issuance sold out quickly, reinforcing confidence in the platform's ability to meet its $100 million target. According to data from RWA.xyz, Mercado Bitcoin now ranks among the world's top 10 tokenized private credit issuers, with cumulative loans exceeding $370 million. However, the platform remains significantly smaller than global market leaders, where the top three issuers have each deployed at least $5.4 billion.
Mercado Bitcoin's strategy leverages blockchain technology to provide international investors with exposure to Latin American private debt markets, which are traditionally difficult to access. By using Rootstock, the company anchors these tokenized assets to Bitcoin's robust security model. The platform's multichain approach also includes planned issuances on other blockchain networks, such as Stellar and the XRP Ledger, to broaden distribution channels.
The company has structured these offerings within Brazil's regulated financial framework, utilizing licenses supervised by the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) and the Central Bank of Brazil. This regulatory grounding is a central part of its pitch to institutional participants. Pinsdorf noted ongoing engagement with regulators, expressing hope for "clearer and more objective frameworks on how the path to tokenization in the financial market will be paved."
This activity reflects a broader regional push in Latin America to bring yield-bearing financial instruments on-chain, with similar efforts seen in Argentina involving local currency stablecoins and tokenized sovereign exposure.
