Layer-1 blockchain Sei is teaming up with Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Xiaomi in a deal that will see its crypto wallet preinstalled on Xiaomi devices.

Under the partnership, a “next-generation crypto wallet and discovery app” will be preinstalled on new Xiaomi smartphones sold outside the U.S. and mainland China, according to a press release.

In a statement, Sei Labs Co-Founder Jeff Feng called the partnership a “watershed moment” for crypto and blockchain adoption. He added that it solves the “onboarding problem” for mainstream users, leveraging Google and Xiaomi IDs for login alongside “curated access” to dapps.

The Sei apps will initially roll out in regions with “established crypto adoption,” including Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Sei and Xiaomi will also “explore enabling stablecoin payments” across the smartphone manufacturer’s mobile ecosystem and retail stores, with plans to enable consumers to buy Xiaomi products using Sei-native stablecoins including USDC. Stablecoin payment functionality is expected to launch in Hong Kong and the EU by Q2 2026, as part of Sei’s plan to extend blockchain and Web3 technology beyond “crypto-native audiences.”

Sei Labs Co-Founder Jay Jog said, “We’re moving from a world where crypto is something you have to find, to one where it finds you.”

Smartphones and crypto

While Sei bills its collaboration with Xiaomi as “unprecedented in the blockchain industry,” it’s by no means the first integration of blockchain with smartphones.

As far back as 2019, Samsung launched the Samsung Blockchain Keystore and Wallet on its Galaxy line of smartphones, while that same year HTC debuted its Exodus “blockchain phone.”

And more recently, layer-1 blockchain Solana has launched its own line of smartphones, including the Saga, released in 2023, and the Seeker, which dropped this year.

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Author: Stephen Graves