Leather Wallet

Leather Wallet, formerly known as Hiro Wallet, was one of the first crypto wallets to support for Bitcoin Ordinals, making it a versatile tool for managing a wide range of digital assets in the Bitcoin ecosystem. This article will delve into the features and benefits of the Leather Wallet, particularly its support for Bitcoin Ordinals, and how it fits into the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.

What is Leather Wallet?

Leather Wallet is a self-custodial, open-source Bitcoin wallet designed to support various digital assets. Leather was originally built to support Stacks (STX), a bitcoin layer 2 blockchain that offers scalable Bitcoin NFTs, smart contracts via Clarity, dApps, DeFi apps, and an open-source API. Stacks NFTs work like Ethereum or Solana NFTs, with the difference that they rely on the mother chain. When the Ordinals protocol was released in 2023, Leather quickly added support for BTC and Ordinals, becoming one of the leading Ordinals wallets.

From the security and usability standpoint, Leather is very well positioned. The wallet uses advanced encryption methods to protect private keys and is compatible with hardware wallets like Ledger devices, enhancing security for long-term storage. Leather Wallet emphasizes security through non-custodial management and compatibility with hardware wallets. Users should follow best practices to ensure the safety of their digital assets. Private keys should be securely stored, users should stay up to date with best practices in the crypto space, and engage only with well-known and trusted platforms for trading and managing their Ordinals and other digital assets.

Available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Edge, as well as a desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Leather Wallet offers an easy and friendly user experience.

Leather Wallet and Bitcoin Ordinals

With Ordinal inscriptions, users can inscribe data directly onto individual satoshis, turning them into unique digital artifacts, often referred to as Bitcoin NFTs but most known as ordinals or inscriptions. This innovation opens up new possibilities for collectibles and other digital assets on the Bitcoin blockchain.

The integration of Bitcoin Ordinals into the Leather Wallet significantly enhances its functionality, providing users with a robust platform to manage these unique digital assets. With Leather, users can receive, send, swap and deploy tokens and collectibles in just a few clicks. Users can send and receive BTC via Native SegWit and Taproot addresses, view and manage Bitcoin addresses and their activity across multiple accounts, mint and trade assets, and more. It is also possible to instantly swap assets between Bitcoin and Stacks via the Lightning Network

Leather wallet supports BRC-20 tokens (fungible tokens that use ordinal inscription technology to create a standard for tokens on the Bitcoin network) and Runes (a new token standard on Bitcoin). Users can also manage Bitcoin Stamps, further expanding their digital asset portfolio.

Leather Wallet connects to various marketplaces such as Gamma and Magic Eden, allowing users to buy, sell, and trade Ordinals.

Leather Wallet's support for Bitcoin Ordinals marks a significant advancement in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, providing users with a versatile and secure platform to manage their digital assets. By integrating features like ordinal inscriptions and compatibility with multiple marketplaces, Leather Wallet is poised to become a key player in the Bitcoin and Web3 space, alongside Xverse Wallet, OKX, Unisat and Phantom Wallet.

To get started with Leather Wallet, take a look at this step by step tutorial Gamma has put together.