Crypto is about to come preloaded.
Sei Labs has struck a global distribution deal with Xiaomi that will see a crypto wallet and discovery app pre installed on Xiaomi smartphones sold outside mainland China and the United States. For users, this removes one of crypto’s biggest hurdles. No app store searches. No complicated setup. Just open the phone and start.
Mi Mode: ON pic.twitter.com/wkmam1CvXk
— Sei (@SeiNetwork) December 10, 2025
The wallet is designed for mainstream users.
Customers will be able to sign in using existing Google or Xiaomi IDs, while wallet security is handled through multiparty computation, a system that removes the need for a single private key. It is crypto without the intimidation factor.
The initial rollout focuses on Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, regions where mobile first adoption and demand for digital payments continue to rise. Through the pre installed interface, users will discover popular crypto applications and access peer to peer and merchant payments directly from their devices.
Sei Labs co founder Jeff Feng called the partnership a turning point.
In his view, this deal finally addresses crypto’s onboarding problem by combining familiar login systems with curated access to decentralized applications. Instead of asking users to learn crypto first, the technology quietly fits into tools they already use.
Payments are a key part of the plan.
Sei and Xiaomi intend to enable stablecoin payments across Xiaomi’s retail and online sales channels. That includes purchases of smartphones and even electric vehicles, with assets like USDC supported on the Sei network.
The rollout will not happen everywhere at once.
Early stablecoin payment launches are expected in Hong Kong and the European Union by mid 2026, with broader global expansion planned after that. To accelerate adoption, Sei Labs is also launching a $5 million funding program to support mobile projects that bring blockchain features directly to consumer devices.
Sei itself is built for scale.
Launched in 2023, the network is a high speed layer one blockchain designed for low cost transactions and consumer grade performance. Xiaomi, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Beijing, brings massive distribution power through its portfolio of smartphones, smart home devices, IoT hardware, and electric vehicles.
Sei Labs co founder Jay Jog summed up the strategy simply.
The partnership shifts crypto from something users must go looking for to something that finds users. Pre installation delivers instant distribution across key crypto markets, without requiring a single additional download.
Others have tried hardware first crypto strategies before.
Solana Mobile launched its Saga phone in 2022, with shipments beginning in 2023. Sales exploded after a BONK airdrop briefly made the device worth more in tokens than its retail price. Solana followed up with its second generation Seeker phone, which began shipping in August 2024 after more than 150,000 preorders, alongside plans for a native SKR token tied to its mobile ecosystem in early 2026.
This time, the strategy is different. Instead of selling a crypto phone, crypto is quietly becoming part of the phone everyone already owns.
