Tether Rolls Out Self-Custody Wallet for Crypto and Payments

Stablecoin giant Tether has launched a fully self-custodial digital wallet, marking a shift from its traditional role as back-end infrastructure provider to a more direct, consumer-facing offering.

The new app, known as tether.wallet, allows users to hold and transfer assets including USDT, bitcoin, and tokenised gold (XAUT), bringing the company’s payments network closer to end users.

Unlike custodial platforms, the wallet gives users full control over their funds, with private keys stored on their own devices. Transactions are signed locally before being broadcast to the network, removing reliance on intermediaries.

With this wallet, users can send payments using simple human-readable identifiers — such as a username — instead of complex wallet addresses, while transaction fees can be paid directly in the asset being transferred.

Tether has confirmed that the wallet supports multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Polygon, and Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, with further integrations expected over time.

The wallet uses Tether’s open-source infrastructure layer, the Wallet Development Kit, which has powered Rumble Wallet for 80 million users since January 2026.

“With more than 570 million people already using Tether’s technology, the next step is making that digital infrastructure even more accessible and usable by the end users,” said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

Ardoino described the initiative as a step toward making digital payments more intuitive.

“Users should be able to send value as easily as sending a message, without relying on intermediaries and without giving up control of their assets,” he said, framing the product as part of a broader effort toward self-custody in digital finance.

Having built a global presence through its stablecoin infrastructure, Tether is now positioning itself as a front-end platform, targeting everyday transactions as well as users underserved by traditional banking systems.