Shares of video platform Rumble (RUM) are. It was slightly higher in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the company launched the Rumble wallet in partnership with Tether, the issuer of USDT and one of Rumble’s major investors.
It has been hinted for months that the wallet would allow viewers to tip content creators with Bitcoin tether or No need to go through traditional payment systems like banks, ad networks or credit card companies. It’s completely non-custodial, meaning users (not Rumble) hold the keys to their funds.
The product is built using Tether’s Wallet Development Kit (WDK), a platform that allows users to create wallets without relying on a centralized custodian. This is the first live deployment of WDK.
“Rumble stands for free speech and freedom in the same way that cryptocurrency and the decentralized internet stand for freedom, and the Rumble Wallet is a natural marriage of those things,” said Rumble founder and CEO Chris Pavlovski.
The wallet is integrated directly into the Rumble app, giving creators another revenue stream that doesn’t rely on ad revenue or subscriptions. Payment will be processed by MoonPay.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino called the wallet a step toward providing more “decentralized and protected freedom” tools to internet users. “Tens of millions of people will now be able to use cryptocurrencies to support the content they value – without the need for a middleman.”
Rumble has positioned itself as a “free speech” alternative to YouTube, with a growing audience and a business model that attracts creators seeking independence from platform moderation or advertising restrictions. Tether has been supporting the platform for some time and has made several triple-digit million dollar investments.
RUM rose 3% in pre-market trading, but is still down 50% year over year.
