Tangem Wallet

The Tangem Wallet is a set of two or three NFC cards that hold your private key and sign transactions when you tap one against a phone running the Tangem app. The current, second-generation card wallet launched in 2023, according to Tangem’s 2023 recap. It was listed at $54.90 for 2 cards and $69.90 for 3 cards on Tangem’s pricing page on 14 October 2026. Tangem is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.

Is Tangem a cold wallet?

Tangem calls it a cold wallet: its homepage says “Each card holds the same cold wallet” and that the chip is certified EAL6+. In the default seedless setup the card’s chip generates the private key during activation; with the optional seed phrase, the Tangem app supplies the keys instead (see below). The card draws power from the phone’s NFC module, so there is no battery or cable.

The difference from most devices in our database is the screen. Tangem’s CTO writes that the cards work “even though they have no screen,” and that the mobile app handles the critical interactions. You read the amount and address on your phone, then tap the card to approve. The phone is the only place you can review a transaction, so in our reading its integrity matters more than with a device such as the Ledger Nano X, which Ledger says displays the recipient address and amount on its own screen.

Who is the Tangem Wallet for?

It suits phone users who do not want to guard a written recovery phrase. Tangem’s buying guide (December 2023) lists phones on Android 6.0 or later, or iOS 15.0 or later, with full NFC support.

It is a weaker fit if you:

• work mainly from a desktop: the only connection we verified is NFC;
• want firmware you can read: the card firmware is closed-source;
• need Bitcoin multisig or SLIP-39 backups: we found no Tangem statement either way;
• want to create a new passphrase-protected wallet (see below).

How does a Tangem card work without a seed phrase?

By default there is no recovery phrase. Tangem’s homepage says “Backups replace the traditional 12-word recovery seed” and that, with the recommended setup, “No copies exist outside your Tangem device.”

During setup the first card generates the key and a one-time procedure copies it to the other cards. Because the phone relaying the data is untrusted, the cards authenticate each other and agree an encryption key before the private key passes between them, per Tangem’s technical explanation. It also says “The Tangem chip firmware allows for one backup to be completed,” so you cannot add cards to an existing wallet later.

What happens if you lose a Tangem card?

• 3-card set: “If one card is lost, the other two can ensure access,” according to Tangem’s homepage.
• 2-card set: the same page warns that “losing one and forgetting your access code would leave you unable to reset or recover your wallet.”
• All cards lost: “Losing all backup cards means losing access to your funds,” per Tangem’s buying guide, unless you also created and kept a seed phrase.

Resetting a forgotten access code requires another card from the set, and that reset can be disabled. Because a lost card still holds the key, the buying guide suggests moving funds to a new wallet.

Can you use a seed phrase with Tangem?

Yes, as an option. Tangem’s seed phrase FAQ says the Tangem app can generate a phrase or import one, following the BIP39 standard, and then uploads the private keys to the cards. Import accepts 12, 15, 18, 21 or 24 words. The FAQ contradicts itself on whether the app can generate a 12-word phrase or only import one.

What that means for recovery:

• A phrase you keep follows BIP39, so it can support recovery in compatible wallets. For the reverse, importing another wallet’s phrase into Tangem, the FAQ notes some assets may need a custom token with a suitable derivation path.
• An existing seed-phrase wallet cannot switch to backup cards: Tangem says “you cannot revert to generating private keys and using additional cards as your failsafe option.” A factory reset allows a fresh setup but, per Tangem’s technical explanation, destroys the card’s old key.
• Passphrases are import-only: per Tangem’s passphrase guide (May 2024), “Tangem Wallet does not yet support creating a wallet with a passphrase.”

See our seed phrase guide.

Is Tangem open source?

The card firmware is not. Tangem’s firmware article (March 2026) says it “is closed-source but formally evaluated by accredited experts,” names audits by Kudelski Security (2018) and Riscure (2023), and says the app and SDK are open source. The firmware is written once at manufacture with no update mechanism. Tangem presents that as removing an attack surface; it also means a firmware flaw cannot be fixed on cards already sold.

Has Tangem been hacked?

Our dataset records two distinct events.

• December 2024, app logging bug. Tangem disclosed that its app had logged private keys for users who activated a seed phrase wallet and contacted support through the app within seven days of activation. Tangem fixed the app and reported no user funds lost.
• July 2026, laboratory laser attack. Ledger Donjon, the lab of competitor Ledger, used laser fault injection to reset a single card’s access code, after which the card could sign transactions. It needed physical possession of the card and equipment Donjon puts at around $250,000. Donjon says the flaw cannot be patched because the cards have no firmware update mechanism. Tangem responded on 9 July 2026, stressing the physical access, laboratory equipment and expertise the attack needs and calling the practical risk for everyday users “virtually non-existent”; it announced no fix.

Which coins and apps work with Tangem?

The companion app is the Tangem app. Our dataset has no verified asset count; Tangem’s homepage advertises “14100+ tokens across 90 blockchains,” which we have not checked. We found no Bitcoin-only edition.

What is the Tangem Ring?

The Tangem Ring is the same wallet in a ring, sold with two backup cards and launched in 2024. It was listed at $160 for the ring and two cards on Tangem’s pricing page on 14 October 2026. Like the cards, it uses NFC and needs no battery, per the Tangem Ring page, which lists US ring sizes 6 to 13. The Donjon research did not test the ring.

What we could not verify

• Card dimensions and weight.
• The secure element part number on Tangem’s pages (Donjon names the chip it tested as a Samsung S3D232A).
• Multisig or SLIP-39 support.
• Whether the Tangem app generates 12-word phrases.

Compare the approaches in Tangem vs Ledger, or read our methodology.