Opera Shares Jump After MiniPay Wallet Adds Support for Tether's USDT

In brief

• Opera stock climbed after MiniPay added support for Tether’s USDT stablecoin.
• MiniPay now supports dollar-pegged and gold-linked tokens inside Opera’s mobile browser.
• Opera says its MiniPay wallet has more than 12 million activated users.

Opera’s aggressive pivot into the crypto space paid off in the markets on Monday, with shares climbing nearly 18% following the integration of Tether’s USDT into its MiniPay wallet. The Oslo-based company saw its stock jump from an opening price of $12.42 to $14.87 earlier Monday after announcing that users can now hold and transfer the world’s largest stablecoin, alongside the gold-pegged token Tether Gold. Opera’s shares finished the day trading at $14.10, still showing a more than 13% rise on the day. “Tether is the world’s leading stablecoin issuer, so collaborating with them was the logical step for MiniPay—the fastest-growing stablecoin wallet,” MiniPay Head of Commercial Murray Neil Spark told Decrypt. 

With roughly $185 billion in circulation, USDT is backed largely by U.S. Treasuries and other reserve assets. USDT usage has historically been concentrated outside the United States; however, Tether has increased its U.S. activity since the passage of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act in July, launching the U.S.-regulated USAT stablecoin last week. MiniPay is a self-custodial crypto wallet embedded directly into Opera’s mobile browser and built on the Celo blockchain. In December, Opera expanded its relationship with Celo to include new stablecoin features, including payment cards. The MiniPay wallet is part of a broader effort by the browser company to integrate crypto and payments directly into its products. “Success over the next year means MiniPay becoming a true daily tool for more people,” Spark said. “We’re focused on growing active usage: more unique wallets and higher transaction frequency moving through the MiniPay ecosystem as users send, receive, and hold stable value for everyday needs.” Since 2019, Opera has added Web3 features, including crypto wallets, positioning the browser in a race with the privacy-focused Brave Browser as an access point for digital assets.

“We’ll also judge success by strengthening the partner network that powers real-world utility, with more trusted on-ramps/off-ramps and services that connect MiniPay to local economies,” Spark said. “We want this growth to come with the same simple, secure experience that removes crypto complexity for users.” Opera has reported more than 12 million activated wallets and hundreds of millions of transactions to date. According to the company, the strongest MiniPay usage comes from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Despite the stock market’s enthusiastic reaction, questions remain regarding Opera’s long-term monetization. The company has yet to disclose exactly how MiniPay translates to the bottom line, or how much of its roadmap is tethered to these digital asset features. While Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino framed the partnership as a win for “financial inclusion,” the ultimate test for Opera will be whether it can convert its millions of wallet activations into a sustainable revenue generator that justifies its stock spike.