Setting up your institution's Algorand wallet to receive USDC payments.
⚠ Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone — including support staff.
Anyone contacting you offering help without you requesting it is a scammer. Official Pera support is only at support.perawallet.app. Even there: never give your seed phrase. If your seed phrase has been seen by anyone else, treat the wallet as compromised immediately and move all funds to a new wallet before doing anything else.
Before you start
The wallet you register must be an institutional wallet — not a personal wallet. Every query payment on your institution's endpoints goes directly to this wallet. The person who sets up and controls this wallet should be your designated data officer or financial controller, with a documented handover procedure if that person leaves the institution.
If you are unsure whether your institution has the authority or internal processes to receive digital currency payments, read the Institutional Wallet Brief → before proceeding.
Your options
There are two main wallet options for Pacific institutions. Most institutions start with a software wallet (Pera) and move to a hardware wallet when query earnings reach a level that warrants stronger security.
Software wallet (Pera)
- Best for
- Getting started, institutions with limited IT support.
- Security
- Your seed phrase is the only backup — store it on paper, not digitally. If lost, the wallet cannot be recovered.
- Cost
- Free.
- Recommended for
- Initial registration and first earnings.
Hardware wallet (Ledger + Pera)
- Best for
- Institutions where the wallet will hold significant value (above approximately $500 USDC equivalent) or where multiple staff need supervised access.
- Security
- Your seed phrase is stored on the Ledger device, not on your phone or computer. Much harder to lose to phishing or malware.
- Cost
- Ledger hardware device (~$80–$150 USD, purchased from ledger.com directly — never from a third party).
- Recommended for
- Government ministries, universities, any institution with ongoing query revenue.
Setting up Pera (software wallet)
Step 1: Download Pera Wallet
Download the official Pera Wallet app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Search for "Pera Wallet" — the developer is Pera Technology. Do not download from any other source.
Step 2: Create a new wallet
Open Pera and select "Create a new wallet". Pera will generate a 25-word seed phrase. This is the only key to your wallet.
Step 3: Write down your seed phrase — now, on paper
Write every word, in order, on paper. Do not photograph it. Do not type it into any app, cloud document, or messaging service. Store the paper in a secure location — treat it as you would treat the deed to a building. SBP cannot recover your wallet if this phrase is lost.
⚠ Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone — including support staff.
Anyone contacting you offering help without you requesting it is a scammer. Official Pera support is only at support.perawallet.app. Even there: never give your seed phrase. If your seed phrase has been seen by anyone else, treat the wallet as compromised immediately and move all funds to a new wallet before doing anything else.
Step 4: Verify your seed phrase
Pera will ask you to confirm your seed phrase by selecting words in order. Complete this step before proceeding.
Step 5: Opt into USDC
Your wallet must opt into USDC before it can receive payments. In Pera: tap the "+" icon → search for "USDC" → select the asset with ID 31566704 → confirm the opt-in. This costs approximately 0.1 ALGO. SBP will send 0.5 ALGO to your wallet address after your institution is verified — this covers the opt-in cost.
Step 6: Copy your wallet address
Tap your wallet name at the top of the Pera home screen. Your Algorand wallet address is the long string of letters and numbers (58 characters). Copy it — this is what you paste into Step 2 of PDC registration. It is safe to share this address.
Setting up a hardware wallet (Ledger + Pera)
If your institution requires hardware-level security, a Ledger device connected to Pera provides the strongest available protection for an Algorand wallet.
- Purchase a Ledger Nano S Plus or Ledger Nano X from ledger.com directly. Never buy a Ledger from a third-party seller — devices can be pre-configured by bad actors.
- Set up your Ledger using the official Ledger Live app. Write down your seed phrase on paper exactly as in Section 3 above.
- Install the Algorand app on your Ledger via Ledger Live.
- Open Pera on your phone and select "Connect Ledger".
- Follow the Pera + Ledger connection instructions in the official Pera support documentation.
- Opt into USDC as described in Section 3, Step 5 — the Ledger device will prompt you to confirm the opt-in on-device.
Hardware wallet setup requires more time and technical confidence. If your IT team needs assistance, contact SBP at anthony@synergybcpacific.com before starting registration.
Acquiring USDC and ALGO
Your wallet needs ALGO to operate (for transaction fees and opt-in costs) and will accumulate USDC as institutions query your endpoints. Here is how to acquire each.
A. ALGO (for transaction fees)
SBP sends 0.5 ALGO to your wallet after your institution is verified during registration. This covers your USDC opt-in cost and initial transaction fees. You do not need to purchase ALGO to get started.
For ongoing operations, ALGO can be purchased on international exchanges including Binance, Kraken, and Coinbase. Pacific exchange availability varies — check whether your country's regulations permit exchange use.
B. USDC (for paying queries or receiving earnings)
USDC accumulates in your wallet automatically as buyers query your endpoints. You do not need to purchase USDC to register as a provider.
If you want to use USDC to pay for queries yourself (as a buyer of other PDC endpoints), options include:
- Purchase USDC directly on exchanges that support it (availability varies by country)
- Purchase ALGO and swap to USDC on Tinyman — the primary Algorand decentralised exchange
- Peer-to-peer from another institution or individual who holds USDC
C. What you can do with your USDC earnings
USDC is a USD-pegged digital currency. 1 USDC equals 1 USD in value. Your options for accessing the value of your earnings:
- ✓ Hold as institutional digital treasury — USDC in your wallet retains its USD value and can be used at any time.
- ✓ Pay for queries on PDC — use your earnings wallet to query other Pacific endpoints or run AI agents.
- ✓ Purchase services — SBP deployment assistance and other x402-compatible services can be paid in USDC.
- ✓ Exchange peer-to-peer — exchange with other institutions or individuals locally who want USDC.
- ✓ Exchange via international bank account — exchange on international exchanges using an overseas bank account where available.
Current limitation: No regulated USDC-to-fiat exchange pathway exists in Samoa or most Pacific nations. Synergy Blockchain Pacific is in active consultation with the Central Bank of Samoa on a regulatory pathway. We will notify all registered providers when a local conversion option becomes available. Do not rely on immediate fiat conversion when planning your institution's data monetisation.
Financial controls for institutions
Before registering, your institution should have a clear answer to each of these questions:
Who controls the wallet?
The wallet must be held by a designated data officer or financial controller — a named role, not a named individual. Your institution should have a documented procedure for what happens when that person leaves.
Does your institution have authority to receive digital currency payments?
This depends on your institution's financial regulations and any donor or government funding conditions. Check with your finance team before registering. The Institutional Wallet Brief → is a one-page document designed for your finance office.
What is your institution's spending policy for USDC earnings?
Earnings accumulate in the wallet. Your institution should decide in advance: who can authorise spending, what USDC can be used for, and how earnings are reported in institutional accounts. This is your governance decision — SBP does not have visibility into or control over your wallet.
Multi-signature wallets
Algorand supports multi-signature wallets that require approval from multiple keyholders before any transaction. This is appropriate for institutions where financial controls require dual authorisation. Multi-sig setup is more complex — contact SBP if your institution requires this configuration and we can point you to the right resources.
Ready to register your institution?