Smart Wallets FAQs

Use these answers to enable Smart Wallets, choose a plan, and integrate the beta service with your existing Tatum API key.

What are Smart Wallets?

Smart Wallets is Tatum's MPC-based custodian wallet service. You can create and manage end-user wallets server-side through the Tatum Wallet SDK and the /v4/wallets API, including client creation, sessions, wallet generation, transaction signing, and backup and recovery, without handling raw private keys.

Which chains are supported? Can I use testnets?

Smart Wallets supports more than 13 chains. You can use the networks that fit your project, including testnets such as Ethereum Sepolia and Base Sepolia during development.

Do I need a separate API key for the Wallet SDK?

No. Smart Wallets uses your existing Tatum API key in the Wallet SDK. After activation, you can use the same key for the custodian endpoints that you use for RPC and Data API access.

What are the wallet, signing, and transaction limits?

Smart Wallets has no hard limits on wallets, signing operations, or transactions. Each operation consumes credits through Tatum's standard credit system, so maintain a sufficient credit balance for the operations you run.

Is there a sandbox or free trial environment?

Yes. Smart Wallets are available on the FREE plan. To test an integration, use testnets/mainnet as per your choice.

Does Tatum Smart Wallet support configurable MPC thresholds such as 2-of-3 or 3-of-5?

No. Tatum Smart Wallet uses a fixed 2-of-2 MPC signing model: one signing share is held on the client side and the other is held in Tatum's hardware-secured enclave. Configurable thresholds are not supported.

Can our backend or a separate custodian hold an MPC share for our users?

Yes. In the custodial model, your organization holds the client-side share for your end users and acts as custodian of their wallets, while Tatum holds the second share.

Are backup shares actual signing shares?

No. Backup shares are recovery shares only and are used exclusively to restore access. Day-to-day signing always uses the active pair of signing shares.

If Tatum becomes unavailable, can we still use or recover the wallet?

Standard MPC signing requires both the client share and the Tatum share, so it cannot proceed without Tatum. However, key eject lets you reconstruct the full private key on your side. You can then sign transactions without depending on Tatum's infrastructure.

What is the recovery process if the client loses its signing share, and who initiates it?

The client initiates recovery when a valid backup exists. The client decrypts its backup share and calls the recovery flow. The enclave combines the client backup with Tatum's custodian backup and issues a new pair of signing shares; the client stores its new signing share and confirms storage.

If both the client signing share and client backup share are lost, the wallet cannot be recovered.

Can Tatum ever reconstruct the complete private key on its own?

No. Tatum does not have access to the client share, and its own share is sealed inside a hardware-backed enclave that Tatum operators cannot access. Tatum participates as one party in the MPC protocol and cannot reconstruct the private key unilaterally.

How does key eject work?

Key eject reconstructs the wallet's full private key so you can use it independently of Tatum. Follow the Eject keys walkthrough for the complete flow.

Which shares are required for key eject, and who can trigger it?

Your custodian enables eject by calling enableEject(). Reconstruction requires both the client backup share and Tatum's custodian backup share. Tatum's share is available for eject only during the configured ejectableUntil window.

Does key eject produce a standard blockchain private key?

Yes. Key eject produces a standard private key that you can import into any compatible external wallet.

Where is Tatum's MPC share stored, and how is it protected?

Tatum's share is stored in an AWS Nitro Enclave, a hardware-backed trusted execution environment (TEE). The share never leaves the enclave.

What happens to existing wallets if we terminate our Tatum account?

Self-custodial wallets are unaffected: end users retain their client shares and can eject their keys. For custodial wallets, where your organization holds the client shares, Tatum-side signing stops when the account closes. Use key eject to export private keys before termination so the wallets remain usable independently.

Can we create multiple independent recovery backups outside Tatum?

Yes. When multi-backup is enabled with isMultiBackupEnabled, multiple backup-share pairs can exist in parallel. For example, you can use an enclave-managed backup, a passkey or device-backed backup, and a copy secured by your own backend or KMS. You can store customer-controlled backup material entirely outside Tatum.

Which MPC protocol and signature schemes do you use?

Tatum uses the CGGMP protocol for ECDSA signatures. Both secp256k1 (ECDSA) and Ed25519 (EdDSA) wallets are supported.