Since its launch in September 2023, Opera Mini’s MiniPay app quickly gained 3 million users.
New features, less complexity
Opera is upgrading its mobile browser’s crypto wallet by adding the two largest stablecoins, Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.
The self-custodial wallet, MiniPay, built into Opera Mini, now includes a feature called Pockets, and this feature allows users to swap Celo dollars, the cUSD with the newly added stablecoins in a single click.
As announced on July 3, users can switch between USDC, USDT, and cUSD with minimal fees and no hidden costs by simply dragging and dropping coins between virtual pockets. Speaking about user experience…
MiniPay, launched in September 2023 and built on the Celo blockchain, in the beginning only featured the cUSD stablecoin, which is pegged to the U.S. dollar.
The wallet was first introduced in Africa to facilitate the sending and receiving of stablecoins using simply the phone numbers of users, instead of wallet addresses.
Jørgen Arnsen, executive vice president of Mobile at Opera, mentioned that high transaction fees weer, and are a major concern for wallet users, so the new Pockets feature’s goal to simplify asset swapping in Web3, eliminating worries about gas fees.
Long list of obstacles
Arnsen detailed that many consumers in Africa are troubled by high transaction fees, the often unreliable service, and lack of transparency with local payment methods.
Also the high cost of mobile data remains an issue for many.
To address these concerns, MiniPay includes a Discover Page for decentralized applications, providing users easy access to tools like Universal Basic Income protocols, or savings apps.
The king of the browsers
Since its launch, MiniPay reached the three million activations milestone, all across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, making it one of the fastest-growing digital wallets on the continent.
Arnsen shared that Africa has a mobile-first approach within the young population and widespread use of smartphones.
So not a big surprise the Opera Mini is currently the most downloaded mobile browser in Africa, with nearly 100 million active users.
