Tether Launches Wallet Supporting Bitcoin and Stablecoins

Tether, known for its USDt stablecoin, has introduced a self-custodial wallet named tether.wallet. This new wallet supports three Tether-issued assets: USDT, XAUt, and USAT, alongside Bitcoin (BTC). A key feature is its ability to allow users to transact without needing separate network or gas tokens, as fees are paid directly in the asset being transferred. The wallet also incorporates human-readable @tether.me usernames to simplify transactions and avoid long wallet addresses. This launch signifies Tether's significant move into direct consumer wallet distribution, aiming to combine stablecoin and Bitcoin payments in an accessible interface while exploring user acceptance of convenience features in a self-custodial product. The wallet is built upon Tether's earlier work with its open-source Wallet Development Kit (WDK) launched in late 2024, which allowed developers to integrate non-custodial wallets for USDT and BTC. Tether emphasizes that the app is fully self-custodial, with all transactions signed locally on the user's device and private keys/recovery phrases remaining under the user's sole control. The wallet supports USDT and XAUT on Ethereum, Polygon, Plasma, and Arbitrum, USAT exclusively on Ethereum, and Bitcoin on-chain and via the Lightning Network. Notably, the wallet offers a cloud backup option for private keys, though the ability to disable this feature is not yet clear.

(Source：Cointelegraph)