Tether’s RGB Protocol Leader Federico Tenga Joins Utexo’s Advisory Board, Strengthening Technical Leadership in Bitcoin-Native Stablecoin Infrastructure

Utexo, the team developing Bitcoin-native yield and payment infrastructure through the RGB protocol, announced today that Federico Tenga, a leading authority on RGB and R&D strategist within the Bitfinex and Tether ecosystem, has joined its advisory board. This appointment marks a significant milestone for Utexo’s mission to build foundational infrastructure for stablecoin issuance and global payments on Bitcoin.

Tenga currently leads development of the RGB protocol implementation, the RGB Lightning node, and critical developer tooling at Bitfinex and Tether. His work is central to the infrastructure that Utexo relies on. “Federico is one of the people building the RGB ecosystem at the protocol level,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, CEO of Utexo. “His decision to join Utexo’s advisory board reinforces how closely aligned we are with the future direction of Bitcoin. Federico brings deep technical expertise, and his insight will help ensure Utexo continues to push forward Bitcoin-native stablecoin infrastructure.”

As a primary contributor to RGB, Tenga leads the team developing key components including the RGB Lightning node and Iris Wallet, a mobile application recognized for its user-friendly interface with RGB-based assets. His team also created rgb-lib, an open-source Rust library simplifying development on RGB. This tooling supports the broader ecosystem in which Utexo operates.

Tenga’s appointment strengthens Utexo’s strategic alignment with Tether, which co-led the company’s $7.5 million seed round. His role within the Bitfinex and Tether ecosystem creates a direct technical connection between Utexo and the teams advancing USDT’s integration on Bitcoin via RGB. “Utexo represents one of the most compelling real-world implementations of RGB today,” said Tenga. “The team is focused on solving payment and liquidity challenges using Bitcoin as the base layer. The opportunity to help shape how stablecoins operate natively on Bitcoin at both the protocol and application level is compelling. I look forward to contributing to Utexo’s growth within the RGB ecosystem.”

Before his current role, Tenga co-founded Chainside, an Italian Bitcoin payment processor that enabled merchants to accept Bitcoin, including through a partnership with itTaxi, Italy’s largest taxi network. He also contributed to blockchain policy as a member of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development’s national blockchain task force.

Tenga’s involvement provides Utexo with direct visibility into the evolution of RGB, including emerging standards, performance improvements, and developer tooling. With Tenga joining its advisory board, Utexo continues to expand its technical leadership across Bitcoin, stablecoins, and financial infrastructure.