Rezolve AI acquired Smartpay, a fintech infrastructure company focused on USDt payments. The announcement came on Tuesday without disclosed terms. The parties emphasized live rails and merchant outcomes in fiat.
Smartpay processed 19 million transactions in the 12 months ending Sept. 30. The total value surpassed $1 billion in USDt payments during that period. The figures reflect stable usage rather than a pilot phase.
The company has enabled stablecoin payments since 2019. Consumers can pay with digital assets such as USDt. Then merchants receive instant fiat conversion into local currency. This structure limits price exposure at checkout and keeps books in national money.
Stablecoin payments and instant fiat conversion in Latin America and central Africa
Smartpay operates in Latin America and central Africa. The model supports day-to-day crypto payments at retail and online points of sale. Buyers spend USDt from supported wallets. Sellers receive payouts in local fiat via banking channels.
This approach keeps merchant settlement familiar. It aligns with standard invoicing, tax reporting, and reconciliation flows. Teams avoid managing token balances or tracking intraday price shifts.
The wider crypto payments market includes BitPay and Coinbase Commerce. Smartpay differentiates by pairing USDt payments with instant fiat conversion at settlement. Stores can price goods in domestic currency while using stablecoin payments for the transfer leg.
Rezolve AI, Tether, and USDt payments: partnership details
Rezolve AI, a publicly listed commerce platform, said the acquisition strengthens its USDt payments initiative with Tether. The plan connects stablecoin payments to e-commerce and retail while keeping merchant settlement in fiat. The goal is to scale a running system, not to introduce a new one.
“Smartpay gives Rezolve a proven, transaction-tested foundation to scale our digital asset payment initiative globally,”
Rezolve AI CEO Daniel M. Wagner said. The company placed USDt payments inside its commerce stack rather than a side project. The emphasis stayed on throughput and settlement.
The Smartpay network already clears USDt payments at volume. Its 19 million transactions and $1 billion in value formed the operational baseline. The footprint in Latin America and central Africa positions Rezolve AI near active merchant endpoints.
AI payments meet stablecoins: Google, Coinbase, Reown, YouGov
A study by Reown and YouGov identified payments and AI as primary adoption drivers. The research pointed to stablecoin payments in commerce and AI payments that automate routine tasks. It presented digital assets as embedded tools in regular workflows.
Google’s Agent Payments Protocol, announced with Coinbase, allows AI agents to initiate crypto payments under defined permissions. The framework focuses on stablecoin payments for predictable value and quick settlement times. It targets uses like subscriptions, API fees, and marketplace payouts.
Industry commentary links AI payments demand to stablecoin payments capacity. Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz said AI agents could become major users of stablecoins due to fast and programmable transfers. The Rezolve AI–Smartpay combination places operational USDt payments rails beside that trend.
Crypto payments stack and merchant settlement: how it works
In practice, a buyer selects USDt at checkout. The crypto payments flow authorizes the transfer on a supported chain. The system then triggers instant fiat conversion through local partners.
Merchants receive domestic-currency funds in their bank accounts. Reporting aligns with existing accounting tools. Chargeback workflows differ from card rails, so providers document refund paths within the digital assets stack.
For cross-border cases, USDt payments can move value between wallets. Final settlement still lands in local fiat. That outcome reduces foreign-exchange steps for sellers while keeping customer pricing clear.