Tether and Shiga Launch Self-Custodial Wallets
Tether and Shiga are set to launch self-custodial wallets that will facilitate the management of USD₮, Bitcoin, and Tether Gold for both individual users and institutions in Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In a statement made on September 28, Tether revealed that these wallets will utilize their Wallet Development Kit (WDK), an open-source tool aimed at helping developers create robust wallet solutions.
Product Offerings
Shiga plans to provide two distinct products: one specifically tailored for end-users and another designed for institutions focusing on creating payment and treasury services. The collaboration between Tether and Shiga originated with Tether’s investment in Shiga Digital in June 2025, a move documented by crypto.news, highlighting Shiga’s existing solutions such as virtual accounts, foreign exchange management, treasury services, and over-the-counter transaction capabilities specifically geared toward African businesses.
ENTA Wallet Features
The self-custodial wallet, dubbed ENTA, will cater to various client types including individuals, high-net-worth persons, and businesses. Users will have the flexibility to fund their wallets using local currencies, U.S. dollars, or Bitcoin, enabling them to hold and transfer USD₮, Bitcoin, and XAU₮ from these wallets. However, it should be noted that ENTA will not store local currencies as part of its assets.
Market Context and Challenges
Tether did not specify when ENTA would officially launch, nor did it outline which African nations would be prioritized for its introduction, or the fee structure that customers might encounter. Shiga’s initiative comes at a time when remittance costs in the region are exceptionally high, with the World Bank indicating that sending money to Sub-Saharan Africa incurs an average fee of 8.46%, the steepest among tracked regions. However, no comparable remittance costs were mentioned for transfers via ENTA.
CEO Insights
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, commented on the initiative, emphasizing that the WDK will empower companies to create products that allow users to maintain control over their digital assets. “Our partnership with Shiga aims to provide much-needed infrastructure in markets where users face significant challenges in safeguarding savings and transferring money internationally,” Ardoino stated.
Institutional Solutions
For institutional clients such as banks and fintech firms, Shiga intends to roll out a platform named Pulse, which can be customized for various financial services including payment corridors and treasury operations. The company’s CEO, Abiola Shogbeni, noted that Pulse would be tailored to meet the specific needs of different institutions rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution.
Institutions will have the choice to either leverage the WDK infrastructure managed by Shiga or to deploy it independently while retaining control over their own security protocols and data management. This flexibility caters to clients with particular regulatory requirements governing data sovereignty and transaction signing.
Future Prospects
The WDK serves as the foundational software framework for both ENTA and Pulse, promising integration that supports a variety of blockchain networks as specified by Tether. While Pulse aims to serve the Africa-GCC financial corridor, Tether has yet to disclose any specific partnerships with banks or fintech companies for its deployment. Key details such as initial payment corridors or expected transaction volumes remain undisclosed.
In the GCC, XAU₮ has already been recognized as a legitimate commodity within the Abu Dhabi Global Market, allowing certain approved firms to provide services involving the token. However, companies including Shiga are not automatically granted approval to operate under this status. Furthermore, Shiga’s COO, Dami Etomi, disclosed that the company is nearing the finish line for obtaining a Digital Asset Intermediary License in Nigeria, which would allow it to legally offer digital asset services within the country, though no license is currently held.
Etomi added that ENTA will be available on the same infrastructure as the institutional offerings, allowing potential Pulse clients to trial a live product built on Shiga’s back-end systems, although no date for ENTA’s launch has been given. This announcement specifically pertains to offerings for Africa and the GCC and does not imply any availability or details for rollout in the U.S.
As of August, U.S. Treasury’s proposals have considered the circumstantial criteria for when American digital asset providers might start offering foreign-issued stablecoins, but details regarding the U.S. accessibility of Tether and Shiga’s products under those discussions remain unaddressed.
