Xiaomi’s Bold Move: Crypto Wallet Pre-Installed on Smartphones in Sei Partnership

Your next phone might just be your next crypto vault. Xiaomi, the tech giant that brought you affordable smartphones, is now bringing crypto to the masses—bypassing app stores entirely.

The Hardware Meets The Blockchain

Forget downloads. This partnership with the Sei Network embeds a crypto wallet directly into the device's operating system. It's a hardware-level handshake between consumer electronics and decentralized finance. The move targets Xiaomi's existing user base, potentially onboarding millions with a single tap.

A New On-Ramp for Millions

The strategy is clear: lower the barrier to entry. No more navigating confusing exchanges or worrying about seed phrase security from dubious browser extensions. The wallet comes ready, turning every new Xiaomi device into a potential gateway for Sei's ecosystem. It's user acquisition on a scale that would make any crypto startup's marketing budget look like pocket change.

The Mainstream Gambit

This isn't just a feature add-on; it's a statement. Xiaomi is betting that crypto utility will soon be as standard as a camera or a messaging app. By pre-installing, they're not just offering a tool—they're shaping user behavior before the device even leaves the box. It’s a powerful nudge towards a financial system where your phone isn't just for calls, but for calls on decentralized applications.

Of course, the traditional finance crowd will scoff—calling it a gimmick to sell more phones in a saturated market. But while they're busy adjusting their spreadsheets, Xiaomi is quietly building the rails for the next financial wave, one smartphone at a time. The future of finance might not be on Wall Street; it could already be in your pocket.

Xiaomi will pre-install a cryptocurrency wallet and discovery application on smartphones sold outside mainland China and the United States as part of a partnership with blockchain platform Sei, the companies announced Wednesday.

Sei positions itself as a high-performance blockchain with sub-400 millisecond finality and capacity to process thousands of transactions per second.

The wallet will be embedded on all new Xiaomi devices in markets including Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, where the manufacturer holds significant market share, the announcement said. Xiaomi sold 168 million smartphones in 2024 and ranks among the world's top three manufacturers with 13% global market share.

The application will feature multi-party computation wallet security and enable peer-to-peer transfers and consumer-to-business transactions. Users will be able to access the wallet through Google and Xiaomi ID logins, with curated access to decentralized applications.

Beyond the wallet integration, SEI and Xiaomi plan to enable stablecoin payments across Xiaomi's retail network of more than 20,000 stores. Initial rollouts for payment functionality are targeted for Hong Kong and the European Union by the second quarter of 2026, with expansion to other jurisdictions subject to regulatory compliance.

The payment system WOULD allow customers to purchase Xiaomi products, including smartphones and electric vehicles, using stablecoins native to Sei's blockchain such as USDC.

Jeff Feng, co-gounder of Sei Labs, described the collaboration as addressing the onboarding challenge by embedding blockchain infrastructure directly into a popular smartphone ecosystem. Jay Jog, co-founder of Sei Labs, said the partnership moves crypto from something users must seek out to capabilities integrated into devices they already use.

Sei will also launch a $5 million Global Mobile Innovation Program to support blockchain adoption across consumer devices as part of the initiative.

Xiaomi holds dominant market positions in several countries, including 36.9% market share in Greece and 24.2% in India. The pre-installation strategy provides Sei with direct distribution to hundreds of millions of mainstream consumers rather than crypto-native audiences.