- Key management
- Account setup
- Blockchain infrastructure
What is a wallet?In the crypto world, a wallet refers to a solution that allows users to
store, send, receive, or spend digital assets. A wallet can
exist as software (a program or service) or hardware (a device or physical
medium). Contrary to popular belief, wallets do not store digital assets
themselves; instead, they store the private keys that grant access to these
assets, which reside on blockchain networks.
Challenges with wallets
Building a seamless and consistent wallet experience remains challenging, limiting the ability for developers to quickly launch apps and onboard their users to interact with onchain ecosystems. Some key challenges include:- Unfamiliar authentication methods available to onboard users.
- The complexity of securely managing private keys.
- Fragmented developer experience due to reliance on multiple vendors.
- Lack of scalable infrastructure to handle high throughput (TPS) for onchain transactions.
- Opaque debugging processes for transaction statuses, including failures.
- Cumbersome management of Web3-specific features like gas fees and nonces.
- High audit costs and steep learning curves to incorporate smart contracts into applications.
Circle Wallets
Circle Wallets is a Wallet as a Service (WaaS) solution designed to simplify the creation and management of secure Web3 wallets and their private keys. It allows for developers to implement key management models that fit their needs, easily enhance wallet functionality while prioritizing user experience, and seamlessly integrate smart contracts in their apps. Developers can use RESTful APIs, Web SDKs, and Mobile SDKs (for Android and iOS) to interact with Wallets. The offering is structured into three key components:- Secure Key Management. Offers passkeys stored on user devices or Multi-Party Computation (MPC) backed keys, which can be configured as user-controlled or developer-controlled.
- Flexible Account Setup. Supports Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) and Modular Smart Contract Accounts (SCAs), enabling customization for specific use cases.
- Scalable Blockchain Infrastructure. Provides managed node infrastructure for public blockchains to broadcast transactions, read balances, and index transactions at scale. Developers can also use Signing APIs on NEAR and other EVM chains, or even integrate their own blockchain infrastructure for broader chain compatibility.