Utexo, a company pioneering Bitcoin-native yield and payment infrastructure through the RGB protocol, has announced the appointment of Federico Tenga to its advisory board. Tenga, one of the foremost authorities on RGB and a key architect behind its development, currently serves as R&D Strategist within the Bitfinex and Tether ecosystem, where he leads development of the RGB protocol implementation, the RGB Lightning node, and critical developer tooling. His addition marks a significant milestone in Utexo’s mission to build the foundational layer for stablecoin issuance and global payments on Bitcoin.
“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.”
Tenga’s role at Bitfinex and Tether includes leading the team that developed key components such as the RGB Lightning node and Iris Wallet, a mobile application recognized as a user-friendly interface for interacting with RGB-based assets. His team also created rgb-lib, a widely adopted open-source Rust library that simplifies development on RGB. This tooling supports the broader ecosystem within which Utexo operates.
His appointment also strengthens Utexo’s strategic alignment with Tether, which co-led the company’s $7.5 million seed round. Tenga’s position 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 Federico 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.”
Prior to 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 his addition, Utexo continues to expand its technical leadership across Bitcoin, stablecoins, and financial infrastructure.
The implications of this appointment are significant for the industry. As stablecoins increasingly rely on Bitcoin’s security and decentralization, Tenga’s expertise ensures that Utexo’s infrastructure remains at the cutting edge. For readers, this means more robust and private stablecoin payment options on Bitcoin, potentially lowering costs and increasing trust in digital transactions. For the broader financial world, it signals a move toward Bitcoin-native solutions that could reshape how stablecoins are issued and used globally.
