Users Can Now Purchase Crypto Directly From Opera
- Opera users in the U.K. can now purchase cryptocurrencies directly with their bank accounts, or through banking app Revolut.
- The Norwegian browser company also revealed its crypto wallet usage numbers, claiming it has over 170,000 monthly active users.
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U.K. users of the popular web browser Opera will now be able to access the firm’s crypto wallet top-up feature thanks to a new partnership with crypto processor Ramp, the company said in a blog post on 24 July.
According to the announcement, U.K. Opera users can now easily purchase Ethereum, with more cryptocurrencies to be made available in the future. Purchases will be available directly from the browser, without the need to go through a cryptocurrency exchange. Payment methods include normal bank accounts and digital banking app Revolut.
This option was made available thanks to a new partnership with crypto processor Ramp, which leverages new European Open Banking API’s to enable low-fee crypto top-ups. This service was made available to U.S. and some European markets earlier this year.
In its Friday blog post, the Norwegian browser company announced one more partnership, this one with decentralized application clearinghouse Dapp.com, which will now power the browser’s dapp explorer feature. The firm first started to support Ethereum-based dapps back in July 2018, when it introduced its crypto wallet. Later, in October 2019, the feature was expanded to support dapps on the TRON blockchain, when it announced its BTC and TRX integration.
Opera further revealed its crypto wallet usage numbers for the first time on Friday. Although it did not provide a breakdown of the numbers by blockchain network, it stated that over 170,000 users were actively engaging with its built-in Ethereum, TRON and Bitcoin wallets every month. While the number is small compared to the 360 million monthly userbase the browser has, it is comparable to the figures similar web-wallet products have, such as MetaMask’s 192,000 monthly users.
After it introduced its crypto wallet back in 2018, becoming the first major browser to offer an in-built wallet, Opera has been actively pushing crypto-related developments. Back in March, it became the first browser to allow access to decentralized web pages, thanks to a partnership with major blockchain domain operator Unstoppable Domains, a firm backed by the famous investor Tim Draper.
- The more than 300 million users of the Opera web browser will soon have direct access to Elrond’s rich ecosystem of dApps and popular web3 services.
- While Opera’s crypto-focused browser was released back in January, it has already added support for multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, and more.
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- Support for Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, StarkEx, Ronin, Celo, Nervos, and IXO has already been added to Opera’s Android app, and will soon arrive to its desktop version.
- The move is part of Opera’s Web3-focused initiative called the “Crypto Browser Project”, which was launched in beta earlier this year.
- The new Opera browser was designed to improve the user experience when browsing decentralized apps, games, and metaverse platforms.
- A new non-custodial wallet will be at the core of the new Opera experience, allowing users to access their crypto and dApps without extensions.