TL;DR
- Sei Network and Xiaomi finalized an alliance to pre-install the blockchain’s mobile app on every new smartphone sold by the brand.
- The agreement removes the download-based adoption cycle and embeds native crypto infrastructure inside hardware that dominates markets in Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
- The partnership includes a next-generation MPC wallet with support for user-to-user transfers and consumer-to-merchant payments.
Sei Network and Xiaomi closed a deal that installs the blockchain’s mobile application on all new Xiaomi smartphones, creating a direct distribution channel that reaches roughly 680 million active devices.
The agreement removes the traditional download-driven adoption model and places native crypto infrastructure inside hardware that already leads markets across Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
The alliance includes a pre-installed app featuring a next-generation wallet, a decentralized app discovery system, and support for both peer-to-peer transfers and consumer-to-business payments. It can be accessed through Google and Xiaomi accounts, enabling immediate entry without complex custody processes or seed phrases. The system uses MPC architecture to secure keys and provide fast, device-level operations.
Sei Launches a $5M Fund to Accelerate Mobile Use-Case Development
The rollout will be accompanied by a $5M global innovation fund designed to accelerate the development of mobile use cases on Sei. The goal is to attract teams capable of integrating payments, identity flows, and commerce functions into an infrastructure with sub-400 ms finality. Sei aims to build an ecosystem that can support high-volume activity while maintaining predictable costs for everyday operations.
The next phase of the agreement aims to deploy stablecoin payments across Xiaomi’s ecosystem. The plan covers transactions in USDC and other assets native to Sei, starting in Hong Kong and the European Union in 2026, with further expansions dependent on local regulations. The system will allow users to purchase Xiaomi products—including smartphones and electric vehicles—through a setup that connects the Sei network with more than 20,000 physical stores and digital channels.
The scale of the rollout will redefine access to onchain applications. A user will receive a phone with a live wallet, a list of verified apps, and an integrated payment route from day one. Direct presence in the hardware creates a new standard: instead of searching for a crypto app, the user finds it already installed at first boot. For Sei, this marks the first opportunity to operate in front of hundreds of millions of users beyond the crypto-native market.
