The Web3 circle is迎来历史性时刻！On December 10, mobile giant Xiaomi officially announced a strategic partnership with high-performance public chain Sei Network. Starting in 2026, new global smartphones will come pre-installed with Sei-driven Web3 applications, allowing hundreds of millions of potential users to access the crypto world with one click. This news seems to be a cross-industry collaboration in the tech circle, but in reality, it marks a watershed moment for the mainstreaming of the crypto industry, with institutions around us quietly beginning to布局相关赛道. As an analyst immersed in the crypto market for 8 years, today I will break down the core logic of this opportunity and the 3 key entry points that retail investors should seize.
Let me calculate a shocking figure for everyone: Xiaomi's global smartphone shipment in 2024 is expected to reach 168 million units, maintaining a top-three market share globally. In regions covered by cooperation, such as Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, the annual shipment will exceed 100 million units. This means that starting from 2026, tens of millions of new users will directly interact with crypto assets through pre-installed applications on smartphones each year, which is several times the current total number of Web3 users. More importantly, this collaboration utilizes MPC wallet technology, allowing users to log in with a Google or Xiaomi account without remembering complex mnemonic phrases, completely solving the biggest pain point for new users.
In my view, the core value of this collaboration lies not in short-term token speculation, but in opening a new era of "hardware-level Web3 distribution." In the past, the growth of Web3 users relied on users actively downloading wallets and searching for projects, which had a very high threshold; now, crypto applications are becoming pre-installed features on smartphones, just like mobile payments were pre-installed on phones back in the day, which will lead to exponential user growth. Historically, every transformation that lowers the threshold has given rise to new industry giants, such as when exchanges simplified the account opening process or when NFT platforms launched minting tools, both of which spurred the explosion of related tracks.
The first core opportunity: Sei ecosystem native projects. As the core carrier of this collaboration, the Sei chain will directly benefit from the influx of hundreds of millions of users. Sei focuses on high TPS, with transaction confirmation times of less than 400 milliseconds and extremely low Gas fees, making it very suitable for high-frequency trading and daily payment scenarios. Currently, the Sei ecosystem already has several quality projects, such as DeFi-focused Tally Ho and the blockchain gaming project Treasureland. With the explosion in user numbers, the activity levels and locked volumes of these projects are expected to rise significantly. My operational suggestion is to focus on the leading DeFi projects in the Sei ecosystem, as these projects will directly meet users' financial and trading needs, and their long-term value is worth looking forward to. However, be cautious as the SEI token may experience a correction due to profit-taking in the short term, and it is not advisable to blindly chase highs; waiting for a correction to key support levels for a phased accumulation is recommended.
The second core opportunity: the MPC wallet track. The wallet pre-installed by Xiaomi adopts MPC technology, which completely mitigates the risk of losing mnemonic phrases and represents the mainstream development direction of wallets in the future. Currently, the MPC wallet track is still in its early stages; apart from the Sei collaboration wallet, there are other projects like Coinbase Wallet and Safe also in the layout. As Web3 users penetrate mainstream demographics, the demand for MPC wallets will explode. For retail investors, focusing on infrastructure projects that specialize in MPC technology can be beneficial, as these projects have higher technical barriers and significant competitive advantages. At the same time, some traditional tech companies may accelerate their layout of MPC wallets, and relevant collaboration news may become a hotspot for short-term speculation, but caution is advised regarding purely conceptual projects.
The third core opportunity: projects landing in crypto payment scenarios. The ultimate goal of Xiaomi and Sei is to enable offline payments, planning to launch stablecoin payment functions in regions like Hong Kong and the EU in the second quarter of 2026, allowing users to purchase Xiaomi products and services using stablecoins like USDC. This means that crypto payments will transition from concept to reality, and related payment protocols and stablecoin projects will directly benefit. Currently, projects focusing on crypto payments include Circle (USDC issuer) and Stripe (which supports crypto payment interfaces). My view is that stablecoins, as the core carrier of payments, will see increased demand as payment scenarios expand, especially those with strong compliance. Additionally, protocols supporting cross-chain payments are worth attention as they will solve the circulation issues of stablecoins across different chains.
Finally, here are three key reminders for everyone: First, the implementation cycle of this collaboration is relatively long, and the real user increase will only become apparent after the new smartphones are launched in 2026. After short-term speculation, a correction may occur, and retail investors should avoid chasing prices and panic selling; Second, when selecting projects, prioritize those with actual technological support and application scenarios, avoiding investment in purely conceptual tokens; Third, pay attention to regulatory risks, as different regions have different regulatory policies on crypto payments, which may affect the progress of project implementation. If you want to get my curated list of quality projects in the Sei ecosystem, feel free to interact more on my homepage, and I will share it for free with everyone through fan benefits in the future. Remember, the trend of Web3 mainstreaming is unstoppable, and early positioning can seize opportunities.
In summary: The cooperation between Xiaomi and Sei is a milestone event in the development of Web3, which will fundamentally change the user structure and ecological pattern of the crypto industry. For retail investors, instead of getting entangled in short-term market fluctuations, it is better to focus on the three core tracks of Sei ecosystem, MPC wallets, and crypto payments, and choose quality projects for long-term positioning. I believe that within the next 1-2 years, these tracks will give birth to a new batch of industry leaders, and investors who position themselves early will reap substantial returns.
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