On May 17, 2025, Wallet of Satoshi announced on its X account its return to the US market with what will be a "US-approved" self-custody wallet solution. This wallet is designed to operate on Bitcoin's Lightning Network. For now, not many technical details about the wallet are known, as this is a pre-announcement. However, this launch promise has important implications for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in the country, especially in terms of privacy.
This return to the US marks a significant shift in the relationship between cryptocurrencies and the US regulatory environment, which in recent years has been a challenging environment for digital asset-related services, especially those that use cryptography to ensure user privacy and sovereignty. This return to the US comes in a context where policies promoted by President Donald Trump, who in March 2025 signed an executive order to create a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, have opened the doors to greater acceptance of cryptocurrencies.
The meaning of "approved in the US" in Wallet of Satoshi's statement is unclear, as the post doesn't provide any details. However, it would at least imply that this self-custody wallet is legally neutral. Another, more optimistic interpretation is that the non-custodial solution will be registered and legalized in the country. In both cases, the launch of this wallet will be good news for privacy technologies, which would no longer be criminalized in the country.
The launch of this wallet is significant in several ways. First, Wallet of Satoshi will offer a non-custodial solution that doesn't require KYC, an identification process that many cryptocurrency platforms have had to implement in the United States due to strict financial regulations.
These customer data logging policies haven't always yielded positive results; a case in point is Coinbase. A recent data breach exposed several of the exchange's users to extortion and social engineering attempts.
In a message posted on X, Wallet of Satoshi itself confirmed its commitment to this no-logs policy, noting that bypassing KYC is a “hill they’re willing to die on.” This approach is attractive to users who prioritize privacy and autonomy in managing their funds.
Furthermore, as a self-custody wallet, users have full control over their private keys, eliminating the need for third parties to safeguard their bitcoins, although it also implies greater responsibility in terms of security.
Satoshi Wallet operates primarily through the Lightning Network, a second-layer solution for Bitcoin that enables fast, low-cost transactions, ideal for micropayments and everyday spending. According to its official website, the wallet is designed to be "as simple as possible," with zero configuration that makes it easy to use right out of the box, even for novice users.
However, Wallet of Satoshi's return to the United States cannot be understood without reviewing its recent history. In November 2023, the wallet announced its withdrawal from the US market, a decision directly influenced by the regulatory environment at the time.
The case of Binance, an exchange that faced lawsuits from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for alleged irregularities such as the manipulation of customer funds, generated a domino effect in the industry. Wallet of Satoshi, which until then operated as a custodial wallet, decided to remove its app from the Apple and Google stores in the United States and stopped providing services to customers in that country.
Another reason for Wallet of Satoshi's withdrawal from the country may have been related to the regulations imposed on Lightning service providers. Phoenix, another Lightning wallet solution, was scrutinized by the FBI for not offering KYC; like Wallet of Satoshi, it also stopped offering services in the US, only in 2024. Regulatory pressures led the company to take this drastic measure. In this context, uncertainty about how US authorities would handle custodial and self-custody wallets was a determining factor.
The 2025 announcement reflects a shift in direction not only in Wallet of Satoshi's strategy but also in the U.S. regulatory landscape. The wallet has chosen to adapt to the new circumstances by offering a non-custodial solution, which eliminates concerns related to regulations affecting custodial services.
Satoshi's Wallet combined a Lightning logo with the map of the United States, symbolizing his return to the country. Source: X.
At the same time, the more open cryptocurrency policies pushed by Trump, who has promoted the United States as a leader in this sector, have created a more favorable environment for projects like Wallet of Satoshi to operate without fear of retaliation.
In this sense, it seems that the US could be doing its part, through this approval, to support privacy technologies with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, even if this does not entail a geopolitical redistribution of powers that would help the network decentralize beyond the United States and China.
