Tether leads $15 million funding round for AI-focused payment startup Mural

Tether led a $15 million funding round in Mural, expanding the stablecoin issuer’s investments in technology that enables AI agents to handle payments.

The Series A round, which included participation from North Island Ventures and existing investors, brings New York-based Mural's total funding to $28 million, according to an emailed announcement on Tuesday.

Mural, founded by former Palantir (PLTR) engineers, provides fintechs and other platforms with infrastructure for managing accounts, payments, identity verification and regulatory compliance across traditional banking networks and blockchains. Its customers include payroll platform Deel and browser developer Opera.

The funding comes as financial technology companies explore “agentic finance,” in which AI systems can initiate and execute transactions on behalf of individuals or businesses.

Mural's infrastructure allows companies to set transaction limits, restrict counterparties and require additional approvals for larger payments, addressing questions around authorization and accountability when autonomous software moves money.

“As agents start moving money, that connection to the banks, payment networks and compliance systems the world still runs on becomes essential,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in the statement.

The investment reflects Tether's growing interest in infrastructure beyond stablecoin issuance, particularly as programmable payments emerge as a potential use case for AI-powered financial services.