Opera shares popped more than 15% after the opening bell following the browser maker’s announcement that its MiniPay self-custodial wallet will add support for Tether’s USDT stablecoin and Tether Gold (XAUT0). The move expands access to dollar- and gold-backed tokens for millions of users in emerging markets. Opera says MiniPay has 12.6 million activated wallets and more than 3.64 million on-chain users. In December alone the wallet handled over $153 million in stablecoin flows, underscoring growing demand for simple stablecoin access. MiniPay isn’t a bank — it connects users to on- and off-ramp partners such as Binance, Partna and Fonbank, helping bridge fiat and crypto rails. Opera has also rolled out local payment integrations under a “Pay like a local” initiative, letting users pay in Argentina via Mercado Pago and in Brazil via Pix, and more recently adding instant SEPA payments in Europe and instant bank transfers in Nigeria. Opera says the new Tether support will let users transact “without navigating the complexities of the blockchain.” The stock move comes after shares had fallen to a one-week low of $12.40; they climbed back to about $14.65 on the news (Opera trades under ticker OPRA). The expansion also dovetails with Tether’s own momentum: the issuer reported earlier this month more than $10 billion in net profit for 2025, driven by USDT growth and its U.S. Treasury holdings, and has been buying up to $1 billion of gold per month as it adds XAUT0 to its asset mix. Why it matters: wider Tether support in a popular browser wallet could accelerate stablecoin and token adoption in regions where traditional banking is limited, while giving Opera another lever to grow crypto usage among its sizable user base. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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