Oobit has launched its crypto payment platform in Colombia, expanding its footprint within Latin America as stablecoin adoption continues accelerating across the region. The move marks Colombia as Oobit’s ninth active market in Latin America and reflects growing demand for digital payment solutions tied to dollar-backed crypto assets.
The company, which is backed by Tether, explained that its platform allows users to spend cryptocurrencies directly from non-custodial wallets using a Visa-linked payment system. Through this infrastructure, customers can make crypto-based purchases at more than 150 million merchants across 80 countries without relying heavily on traditional banking networks.
According to Oobit, transaction activity on the platform is dominated by USDT, followed by the company’s native token and USDC. The expansion comes as stablecoins increasingly gain traction for retail spending, remittances, and cross-border transactions in emerging economies facing inflationary pressures and currency instability.
Colombia Emerges as a Key Stablecoin Market
Industry data suggests that Colombia has become one of the fastest-growing stablecoin markets globally. Research from Chainalysis indicated that the Colombian peso ranks as the world’s second-largest fiat currency used for stablecoin purchases on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges.
The trend aligns with broader developments across Latin America, where consumers have increasingly turned to dollar-pegged digital assets as alternatives to volatile local currencies. A report from Bitso showed that stablecoins accounted for approximately 40% of cryptocurrency purchases in the region during 2025, more than double Bitcoin’s 18% share.
Oobit’s Colombia launch reflects the rapid rise of stablecoin-based retail payments in Latin America as users increasingly adopt USDT and other dollar-backed digital assets for everyday financial transactions.
The company’s expansion into Colombia follows strong growth in other regional markets, particularly Brazil, where Oobit reportedly experienced a 200% surge in activity after launching there in late 2024. Brazilian users were said to spend an average of $400 per month through approximately 20 transactions, with supermarkets and grocery stores representing the largest spending category.
Restaurants, department stores, and fuel stations also emerged as major areas of crypto payment usage, signaling broader real-world adoption beyond speculative trading.
Tether Strengthens Regional Stablecoin Strategy
Stablecoins, especially USDT, continue to solidify their role as preferred payment tools within emerging markets. With more than $180 billion in circulation as of May 2026, USDT remains the largest stablecoin globally and processed approximately 6.72 billion transactions worth $19.1 trillion during 2025.
🚨Big update: Oobit is now live in Colombia 🇨🇴
When a currency loses value, people find a better one.Colombians have been doing that with stablecoins for years.
$44 billion in crypto moved through the country last year and more than half of it was stablecoins.
The demand was… pic.twitter.com/xPivDDmo4g
— Oobit (@oobit) May 14, 2026
Tether has simultaneously intensified its investments throughout Latin America as part of a broader regional expansion strategy. Earlier in 2026, the company led a $14 million funding round for Argentine crypto wallet platform Belo, which has been expanding stablecoin payment services across Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.
The Visa-linked infrastructure enables users to spend cryptocurrencies directly from non-custodial wallets at millions of merchants globally without depending entirely on conventional banking systems.
The timing of Oobit’s entry into Colombia also coincides with growing regional competition in stablecoin-based payments. Mercado Libre recently introduced stablecoin transfer services supporting cross-border transactions between Brazil, Mexico, and Chile using its proprietary Meli Dollar token.
Global Stablecoin Market Continues Expanding
The broader stablecoin market has continued expanding rapidly in recent years. Data from DefiLlama showed that the global stablecoin market capitalization increased from approximately $243 billion in 2025 to around $322 billion in 2026.
Industry analysts suggested that platforms like Oobit are positioning themselves to capture a larger share of the growing global stablecoin transaction economy as adoption spreads beyond crypto trading into mainstream consumer payments.
Colombia’s addition to Oobit’s network highlighted the increasing normalization of crypto-powered payments and stablecoin usage for daily financial activities across Latin America.
Observers noted that continued stablecoin adoption could influence broader financial inclusion trends within emerging economies, particularly in regions where access to stable currencies and cross-border financial services remains limited.
