Tether invests $200M in WAP at a $1.6B valuation to build global internet marketplace with stablecoin payments
Feb 25, 2026
Key Points
- Tether invests $200M in WAP at $1.6B valuation to build a creator marketplace settled in stablecoins, bypassing chargeback disputes that plague digital product sales.
- Stablecoin payments eliminate cross-border friction for WAP's global creator base, removing currency conversion costs and traditional banking intermediaries.
- The deal gives Tether's wallet and payment rails a concrete use case beyond trading, positioning stablecoins as settlement infrastructure for the creator economy.
Summary
Tether, the largest stablecoin issuer, is investing $200M in WAP at a $1.6B valuation. WAP operates a global internet marketplace for creators and entrepreneurs. The partnership combines Tether's stablecoin payments infrastructure and wallet technology with WAP's creator community.
WAP has historically struggled with chargebacks on digital product sales. When buyers dispute transactions through card issuers, it creates friction and risk. Stablecoins eliminate that problem. Payments become fast, cheap, and final, with no card network to dispute through.
For WAP's global creator base, stablecoin payments reduce friction on cross-border transactions. Creators and buyers can settle value without traditional banking intermediaries or currency conversion costs. Tether frames this as enabling "billions of people throughout the world" to participate in the "new Internet economy."
WAP's CEO Steven confirmed the partnership as a way to enable sustainable income for creators globally. The deal positions Tether's wallet and payment rails as the settlement layer for a creator economy platform, establishing a concrete use case for stablecoin adoption beyond trading and transfers between speculators.