Tether and Gnosis co-led a $4.4 million seed funding round for the mobile crypto wallet Sorted Wallet on May 20, 2026, to accelerate digital asset adoption in emerging markets. The Hong Kong-based startup received $3.4 million in equity funding from a group including Movement, Angel Invest Group, and the founders of RWA.io, alongside a $1 million strategic support injection from Vox Solutions. CEO Stephen Browne confirmed the capital will be used to expand the company’s footprint across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, targeting users who rely on low-cost feature phones rather than high-end smartphones.
The investment reflects a growing trend of major industry players backing infrastructure that bridges the gap between advanced decentralized finance and the unbanked. While Bitcoin price resistance often dominates headlines in western markets, Sorted Wallet is focusing on the 500,000 users it has already captured in regions like Nigeria, Kenya, and Bangladesh. By maintaining an installation size of just 10MB, the non-custodial wallet remains accessible to those with limited storage and expensive data plans.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, emphasized that the firm’s decision to reinvest in the startup aligns with a broader mission of financial inclusion. Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, previously provided a $1.5 million strategic investment to the firm in late 2024. Ardoino noted that for digital assets to achieve true utility, they must reach the hundreds of millions of people globally who cannot afford modern devices or consistent internet access.
Driving crypto adoption through lightweight infrastructure
Since its launch in 2022, Sorted Wallet has positioned itself as one of the lightest applications on the market. Founders Stephen Browne and Jure Zih built the platform on the premise that financial empowerment should not be a luxury reserved for those with the latest technology. This philosophy has seen the app gain significant traction in Madagascar, Tanzania, and parts of Central America, including Mexico.
The technical architecture of the wallet allows it to function efficiently on stripped-down mobile devices. Despite its small footprint, the wallet supports five major blockchains, including the Ethereum, Polygon, Tron, BNB Chain, and Bitcoin networks. This multi-chain support ensures that users in emerging economies can access various stablecoins and digital assets without needing multiple applications. This focus on accessibility mirrors movements in other sectors, such as when Tether was urged to transfer frozen USDT to assist victims of conflict, highlighting the stablecoin’s role in humanitarian and inclusion efforts.
Strategic participants in the Sorted Wallet seed round
The funding round brought together a diverse group of investors from both the traditional and decentralized sectors. While Tether and Gnosis served as the primary leads, the inclusion of Vox Solutions provides a specialized layer of strategic support intended to help the startup navigate regional telecommunications landscapes. The full roster of participants in the $4.4 million funding round includes:
- Tether: Co-lead investor (Equity)
- Gnosis: Co-lead investor (Equity)
- Movement: Individual angel investor
- Angel Invest Group: Individual angel investor
- Founders of RWA.io: Individual angel investors
- Vox Solutions: Strategic support partner ($1 million contribution)
Gnosis, the Gibraltar-based crypto financial services provider founded by Martin Koppelmann, brings additional expertise in decentralized infrastructure to the partnership. Stephen Browne stated that Tether’s continued backing serves as a testament to the wallet’s potential to transform lives through accessible digital finance. He described the partnership as a new chapter in a mission to provide financial services to users “one phone at a time.”
Regional expansion and new payment features
Looking ahead, Sorted Wallet plans to leverage the new capital to deepen its integrations with mobile operators across its fastest-growing markets. This strategy is designed to simplify the process of moving value between mobile airtime, local currencies, and digital assets. The company is also scheduled to release a new payment mechanism later in May 2026, which aims to further reduce the friction of peer-to-peer transactions in cash-heavy economies.
The focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia comes at a time when traditional financial rails remain out of reach for many. Unlike the institutional focus seen in the West, where Italy’s largest bank increased Bitcoin exposure through ETFs, the demand in Sorted Wallet’s target markets is driven by the immediate need for stable value storage and low-cost remittances. By targeting the “bottom of the pyramid,” Sorted Wallet and its investors are betting on the long-term growth of the mobile-first economy.