Mercado Libre announces investments in Mercado Bitcoin and Paxos, references in cryptocurrencies digital assets management

• Operation reinforces the company's presence in the crypto universe, boosting its development and adoption in the region.
• Paxos powers the Mercado Pago cryptocurrency transaction experience for its Brazilian users.
  

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jan. 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercado Libre (Nasdaq: MELI) acquired shares in the 2TM Group, parent company of MercadoBitcoin.com among others in its blockchain-based portfolio, and made a strategic investment in Paxos, a leading regulated blockchain infrastructure platform that powers the Mercado Pago cryptocurrency experience in Brazil. The investments, whose values were not disclosed, reinforce Mercado Libre's commitment to the development and use of crypto assets and blockchain technology in the region. With the investments, Mercado Libre also intends to stimulate the regional ecosystem, allowing it to offer increasingly relevant products and services to Latin American entrepreneurs and users, who are at the heart of its strategy.

MercadoBitcoin.com is Latam’s leading digital assets exchange and Paxos is a global leader in the crypto space and the current partner of Mercado Libre in the region. Since December, through this partnership with Paxos, Mercado Pago has been offering Brazilian users access to buying, holding and selling cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoin USDP) through their digital accounts, with transactions starting at only R$ 1 (less than US$ 0.20).

Mercado Libre has been closely following the evolution of digital assets and blockchain technology around the world. These partnerships and investments are just another example of the multiple steps taken to engage in this dynamic ecosystem. “As a leading technology company, we are actively evaluating the various innovations and opportunities around this market as it evolves, aiming to be a core participant in this disruption. digital assets and blockchain technology represent a unique, global and collective phenomenon that breaks barriers and creates a level, open playing field for all users to achieve economic empowerment, which is very aligned with our mission as a company,” highlights Andre Chaves, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development for Mercado Libre.