Sei is announcing a strategic partnership with Xiaomi to pre-install a next-generation crypto wallet and discovery app on all new Xiaomi smartphones sold outside mainland China and the United States, as part of a broader push to accelerate real-world blockchain adoption.

As part of the collaboration, Sei plans a $5 million Global Mobile Innovation Program to fund developers building blockchain applications for consumer devices, aiming to broaden the mobile Web3 ecosystem.

The partnership is designed to embed Sei’s high-performance blockchain infrastructure directly into a mainstream smartphone ecosystem, moving toward widespread everyday crypto usage rather than requiring users to procure separate crypto apps.

The first payments rollout is targeted for 2026, with expansion contingent on regulatory approvals in additional markets.

The distribution channel is structurally bullish for Sei, though ongoing price appreciation depends on actual usage and payments maturation.

Key leaders from Sei Labs, including Jeff Feng and Jay Jog, describe the collaboration as a watershed moment for blockchain adoption and highlight Sei’s low finality and high throughput as enabling mainstream use.

If stablecoin payments go live across Xiaomi’s retail and digital ecosystem, users could purchase devices, wearables, and EVs using USDC and other Sei-based tokens, creating real-world transaction volume.

Sei rose more than 6% intraday on the partnership news, signaling market enthusiasm.

Xiaomi’s 2024 shipment of 168 million smartphones and 13% global market share suggest substantial potential scale for Sei adoption through this partnership.

Pilot stablecoin payments are planned for Hong Kong and the EU starting in Q2 2026, with phased rollout to regions with regulatory clarity and growing crypto adoption.

The collaboration envisions enabling stablecoin payments across Xiaomi’s global retail network, with initial rollouts in Hong Kong and the European Union by Q2 2026 and subsequent expansion to additional jurisdictions.

The rollout targets Xiaomi’s global footprint across Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, leveraging its large market share and devices sold in 2024, with Greece and India highlighted as key markets.