Historically, businesses did not see "developing a crypto wallet" as an advanced tech project but rather as a typical dev undertaking. They created a wallet application with APIs, conducted KYC, implemented 2FA, and ultimately depended on getting approval from the regulator at the end.
In 2026, regulators will not forgive companies that do not have compliant products, especially in established markets. Organizations planning to create robust enterprise-grade wallets for customers must re-evaluate their roadmap for policy-native design. Instead of postponing rule-aware execution until the end of the cryptocurrency wallet development process, you should consider compliance as part of 'your core operating system.'
It is important to craft your wallet products according to the regulations in your area where they will be used. Different jurisdictions have distinct legal thresholds. For instance, Dubai has VARA, the EU has MiCA, Singapore has MAS, and Switzerland has FINMA.
Firms should craft a linear modular compliance layer with configurable options that meet the compliance requirements for each country and can be turned on/off without having to modify or rewrite the functionality of the wallet's core software, just to be “globally or regionally compliant.”
Despite the continued significance of accelerated speed to market, the greatest driver of value accretion for regulated crypto wallets in 2026 will be the pace at which institutional investors gain confidence in your wallet offering.
At Antier, we don’t have a cavalier attitude towards regulation. Our team empowers you to take advantage of legal mandates very early in the design, so your wallet architecture is able to withstand surprise scrutiny.
