This article will help you create a new Ethereum wallet using the MyEtherWallet (MEW) software and then how to sign a message using the wallet’s private keys.
If you already have a MEW wallet created, you can skip to the Sign a message with your wallet address section.
Creating a MyEtherWallet (MEW) wallet
MEW is an Ethereum wallet that can be accessed via a web browser, or other software. For this example we will be using the web browser interface.
- Go to https://www.myetherwallet.com/
- Click the Create a new wallet link.
- Click the
By Mnemonic Phrase
tab. You will be presented with 12 words. These are the seed phrase words for your wallet. Ensure you write them down somewhere safe. - Click the
I Wrote Down My Mnemonic Phrase
button. - Verify the missing words and click the
Verify
button - Click the
Unlock Wallet
button - In the next page we need to decide how to access the wallet. Click the
Software
button
- Select
Mnemonic Phrase
and clickContinue
. - Enter your 12 word seed phrase as recorded in step 3 and click
Continue
. - You will be presented with a list of wallet addresses. Select the one you want to use as your wallet. If you’re unsure just select the top one. Tick the
To Access my Wallet, I accept Terms
tick box, and click theAccess My Wallet
button.
You now have access to this wallet. The address for this wallet can be seen at the top left of the page.
Sign a message with your wallet address
Certain jurisdictions require that customers prove they own a wallet address before we can allow crypto withdrawals to them. One way to prove ownership is to sign a message of our choosing. To initiate this, login to your Independent Reserve account, go to the accounts page, and click the add
button in the Verified addresses
section.
In the following screen enter your wallet address and click add
button. Select ETH as the currency, and enter your wallet address in the Address field
.
In the next screen you will be presented with a line of text you need to sign. Click the copy icon to copy the text to your clipboard.
Next we need to sign this message. Go to your MEW wallet as described above, click the Message
menu item in the left navigation panel, and select Sign Message
. In the Message
field, paste the message you copied above, and click the Sign
button.
In the following screen confirm the details look correct, and click the Confirm Signing
button.
The next screen will show a Signed Message
field. Click the Copy
button to copy the message, and send it in a support message on your Independent Reserve account. If we can verify the signature, then we can verify the address and you will be able to withdraw to it.
If you have any issues, please contact our support team.