The Hong Kong-headquartered startup is building financial rails for the hundreds of millions still locked out of the digital economy, starting with a $20 feature phone
Across Lagos, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and Karachi, hundreds of millions of people carry phones that most fintech companies have never designed for. They are $20 feature phones, small, durable, and completely ignored by the traditional finance and crypto ecosystem. Sorted was built to change that.
The lightweight stablecoin wallet startup has closed a $4.4 million funding round. The round was led by Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, with over 570 million users globally, and Gnosis, a leading decentralised finance infrastructure company, alongside other Web3 and fintech investors. Tether also backed Sorted’s previous $1.5 million pre-seed round.
The raise arrives as Sorted crosses 500,000 downloads across 160 countries, driven mostly by users in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Pakistan, markets where currency instability, limited banking access, and expensive cross-border transfers are a daily reality.
Built for the infrastructure that actually exists
Sorted’s core product is a crypto wallet that runs on feature phones and a smartphone app that weighs under 10MB, making it the lightest crypto wallet available on any app store. The idea came in 2022, when founder Stephen Browne encountered a $20 handset and recognised the gap between where fintech was building and where the majority of the emerging market was actually operating.
“Three years ago we built a wallet for a $20 phone. Nobody else thought it was worth building for. 500,000 downloads later, we know better. This round is how we find the next 100 million,” said Stephen Browne, CEO at Sorted.
Why Tether reinvested
For Tether, the follow-on investment reflects a broader thesis on what financial inclusion actually requires, not just better apps, but access that works on constrained devices and limited data networks.
“Over the years, digital asset use cases have evolved from trading tools to real-life applications, promoting financial freedom and inclusion. However, to achieve true inclusion, we must reach hundreds of millions of people who cannot afford smartphones or data plans,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “That’s why we have reinvested in Sorted Wallet, ensuring that everyone, regardless of device, economic status, or location, can participate freely in the global economy using the systems and devices they are most familiar with.”
Gnosis, meanwhile, frames its participation around distribution, seeing Sorted as a practical bridge between stablecoin infrastructure and real-world usage at the edges of the global economy.
“Gnosis views Sorted as a key distribution layer for bringing stablecoin-based payments into real-world use, extending accessible financial infrastructure to users beyond the reach of traditional fintech,” said Daniele Pinna, General Partner at Gnosis VC.
What’s next
Sorted says the new capital will deepen its presence across West and East Africa and South Asia, with a focus on carrier partnerships and distribution channels that reach users where app stores do not.
The next wave of crypto adoption will not come from people upgrading their financial apps. It will come from people who have never had access to one, carrying phones that most of the industry has never once considered building for.
Sorted is a lightweight stablecoin wallet built for feature phones and low-end smartphones, designed to bring digital financial services to users in emerging markets. Join the Sorted Wallet community today and experience the future of finance, simplified and accessible for everyone.
Media contact: Lakshita Goyal — lakshita@sorted.io
