Tether and Shiga have announced plans to launch self-custody wallets for USDT, Bitcoin, and Tether Gold for individuals and institutions in Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The announcement was made on September 28. Shiga will introduce two products: ENTA for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses, as well as Pulse for banks and fintech companies.
Users of ENTA will be able to fund their wallets with local currency, US dollars, or Bitcoin, and then store and transfer USDT, Bitcoin, and XAU₮. Funding with local currency is only for accessing supported digital assets – it will not be held as an asset in the ENTA wallet. The launch date, list of initial countries, and fee structure for Tether and Shiga have not been disclosed.
Both products utilize an open set of tools called the Wallet Development Kit (WDK). "Together with Shiga, we are bringing this infrastructure to markets where people and businesses face real challenges in protecting savings and transferring money across borders," said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. The focus on cross-border transfers is related to high costs in the region: according to the World Bank, the average cost of sending money to Sub-Saharan Africa in the third quarter of 2025 was 8.46% – the highest among receiving regions.
Pulse will allow institutions to customize the platform for payment corridors, treasury operations, and settlements. Shiga CEO Abiola Shogbeni noted that the product will be tailored to each client's operations rather than provided with a one-size-fits-all interface. Institutions will have two deployment options: using the WDK infrastructure managed by Shiga or launching it in their own environment, maintaining control over keys, data, and funds.
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