> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bring your own wallet for CPN

> How using your own wallet infrastructure fits into Circle Payments Network integrations.

Circle Payments Network (CPN) requires a blockchain wallet to sign and submit
USDC transfer transactions on behalf of your organization. Circle doesn't
require this wallet to be a [Circle Wallet](/wallets/dev-controlled.mdx).
Institutions that already custody USDC and operate keys through an in-house or
third-party wallet stack can use that existing infrastructure with CPN.
Originating Financial Institutions (OFIs) that hold their own USDC often choose
this Bring Your Own Wallet (BYOW) approach and it's available on all
[blockchains that CPN supports](/cpn/references/blockchains/supported-blockchains).

## When to bring your own wallet

Bring Your Own Wallet (BYOW) is a good fit when your organization:

* Already operates wallet infrastructure with established key-management
  procedures.
* Requires custody arrangements that are specific to your compliance or
  regulatory environment.
* Manages USDC balances and blockchain interactions through an existing
  third-party provider.

If none of these apply, you can have Circle host the operational wallet instead.
See how to
[Set up a Circle wallet for CPN payments](/cpn/guides/wallets/setup-circle-wallet-for-cpn-payments).

## Your responsibilities

When you bring your own wallet, you take on operational responsibilities that
Circle otherwise handles. The following table summarizes how those
responsibilities are divided.

| Responsibility                            | BYOW | Circle-hosted wallet |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---- | -------------------- |
| Key management and signing                | You  | Circle               |
| Blockchain support and connectivity       | You  | Circle               |
| Nonce handling                            | You  | Circle               |
| USDC balance management                   | You  | You                  |
| Native gas token funding (where required) | You  | Circle               |

<Note>
  CPN Transactions V2 provides unsigned transaction data that includes nonce
  values, so you don't need to manage nonces directly. See the [Create
  Transaction V2](/api-reference/cpn/cpn-platform/create-transaction-v2)
  endpoint for details.
</Note>

Your wallet implementation must satisfy the technical expectations described in
[Wallet provider compatibility](/cpn/references/blockchains/wallet-provider-compatibility).

## How CPN works with your wallet

Regardless of which wallet option you choose, you interact with the same CPN
APIs. Payment creation, settlement, and reporting work identically; only the
custody and signing layer differs. Transactions V2 returns a complete unsigned
payload, including nonce values.

The interaction between CPN and your wallet follows this pattern:

1. You call the CPN
   [Create Transaction](/api-reference/cpn/cpn-platform/create-transaction-v2)
   endpoint to prepare unsigned transaction data for a payment.
2. CPN returns unsigned transaction data (the payload your wallet needs to
   sign).
3. Your wallet infrastructure signs the transaction using its own key-management
   system.
4. You submit the signed transaction back to CPN through the
   [Submit Transaction](/api-reference/cpn/cpn-platform/submit-transaction-v2)
   endpoint.
5. CPN validates the signed transaction and broadcasts it to the blockchain.
6. CPN sends [webhook notifications](/api-reference/webhooks) with transaction
   status updates.

<Note>
  CPN never accesses your private keys. It issues payment instructions that your
  wallet infrastructure executes by signing and submitting transactions to the
  appropriate blockchain.
</Note>

The same CPN transaction APIs apply whether you sign with Circle or with your
own keys, so migrating between a Circle-hosted wallet and BYOW does not require
changes to your CPN integration logic. For a full walkthrough, see the
[Integrate with CPN as an OFI](/cpn/quickstarts/integrate-with-cpn-ofi)
quickstart.