What is a blockchain wallet?
A blockchain wallet doesn't actually "hold" your crypto the way a physical wallet holds cash. Your funds live permanently on the blockchain itself. What your wallet stores is a private key — a secret piece of data that proves you own a specific address and gives you the ability to move the funds associated with it .
Think of it less like a wallet and more like a keychain, and only the person holding the right key can open a specific compartment and act on what's inside.
Public keys vs. private keys
Every wallet is built around a pair of cryptographic keys:
Public key / wallet address — this is what you share. It's how others send you funds and how the blockchain identifies your account. Sharing it is safe, similar to sharing a bank account number.
Private key — this is what you protect. It's used to sign transactions and prove ownership. Anyone with your private key has complete control over your wallet, so it should never be shared.
When you send a transaction, your wallet uses your private key to create a digital signature. The network checks that signature against your public address to confirm the transaction is authentic — without ever exposing the private key itself.
Custodial vs. non-custodial wallets
Non-custodial wallets (e.g., MetaMask, hardware wallets) mean you alone hold the private key. No company can access, freeze, or recover your funds on your behalf — which also means there's no "forgot password" option if you lose your key.
Custodial wallets are managed by a third party (like an exchange) that holds the keys for you, trading some control for convenience and recovery options.
Wallets also come in different physical forms: hardware wallets keep your keys offline on a dedicated device for extra security, while software (hot) wallets run in a browser, on a desktop, or on a phone for everyday convenience.
How this shows up in your Rise account
Rise is built on blockchain infrastructure, so your Rise account is tied to wallets under the hood:
RiseID is a smart contract that acts as your account's owner on-chain. It's what allows Rise to manage payments, withdrawals, and other transactions for you.
Owner wallet — for most users, this is a Rise Security Key (RSK) automatically created during onboarding, so you don't need any crypto experience to get started.
Delegate wallets — you can authorize an additional wallet (like MetaMask) to send transactions on your behalf without giving it full ownership of your RiseID. This is what you're doing when you add a wallet under Security > Authorized Wallets.
Signing in with your wallet (SIWE) — Rise uses "Sign-In With Ethereum," meaning your wallet signs a Rise-generated message to authenticate you, rather than a traditional password.
Key takeaways
A wallet manages keys, not the funds themselves
Rise gives everyone a wallet automatically (via RSK) so you can get started without any crypto knowledge, while still letting you connect your own wallet if you want more direct control.