Tether has participated in a seed extension round for San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup AIsa, joining HIVEN and lifting the company's reported total funding above $9 million. Tether confirmed the investment through Tether Capital, its El Salvador-based investment arm, but did not disclose the amount contributed or the ownership stake acquired.
AIsa's platform is designed to let enterprise AI agents discover and pay for external data, software tools, APIs and AI models while businesses retain permission, budget and transaction controls. The company said its infrastructure supports conventional currency and stablecoin payments, with Tether noting stablecoins as one available option rather than mandating USDT settlement.
According to Tether, AIsa supports more than 250,000 operating agents and has processed over 100 million transactions worldwide, with access to more than 5,000 APIs, tools and models through a single account. AIsa previously reported $6.5 million in cumulative funding after a July round co-led by Alibaba and Tribe Capital, with participation from Draper Associates, Sumitomo Corporation and Saison Capital.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino linked the investment to the rise of AI systems carrying out tasks on behalf of individuals and businesses, saying users need control over what automated agents spend. AIsa founder and CEO Jordan Liu described the company as building infrastructure that allows automated systems to access resources and make authorized payments while businesses retain control.
The announcement follows Tether's expanding work in AI-powered payments and programmable money, including its Wallet Development Kit, QVAC technology and earlier support for Oobit AI payment cards using USDT. Tether reported $1.5 billion in profit for the second quarter of 2026, with excess reserves near $4.1 billion, though it did not specify how much capital was allocated to AIsa.
