Key Insights:
- Tether Opera collaboration introduces additional capabilities to the MiniPay wallet in the Opera mobile browser, including USDT and XAUT.
- MiniPay boasts of more than 12 million wallets, with the most robust usage in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
- Tether releases MiningOS, an open source Bitcoin mining system designed to use peer-to-peer operations at scale.
The Tether Opera partnership has brought together the world’s largest stablecoin issuer and a global web browser provider to expand access to digital financial tools in emerging markets. Besides the MiniPay integration, Tether also announced the release of an open-source Bitcoin mining operating system, a parallel move to its infrastructure software.
Tether Opera partnership adds USDT and XAUT to MiniPay
In an announcement on Monday, the partnership aims to add more Tether-issued assets to the Opera MiniPay wallet, a self-custodial crypto wallet directly integrated into the Opera mobile browser.
Under the Tether Opera partnership, Opera’s MiniPay wallet will now support Tether’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin USDt and its gold-backed token Tether Gold XAUT.
Tether stated that the expanded support is intended to strengthen access to stable-value digital assets in regions where demand for dollar-denominated and commodity-linked tokens has been strongest.
Moreover, MiniPay is a self-custodial wallet built on the Celo blockchain and integrated directly into Opera’s mobile browser, allowing users to send, receive, and hold digital assets without installing a separate application.
MiniPay usage has been reported primarily in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, areas where Opera has historically maintained a significant user base.
USDt currently has approximately $185 billion in circulation and is backed primarily by U.S. Treasuries and other reserve assets.
Nevertheless, Tether has expanded its presence in the United States following the introduction of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act in July. Last week, the company introduced USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin designed to operate under the new legal framework.
The use of MiniPay as Opera’s future crypto strategy
MiniPay is an extension of Opera’s overall efforts to embed crypto and payments into its offerings. The wallet requires only a mobile phone number for activation and is designed to function as a lightweight payments and savings tool rather than a full-featured trading platform.
In December, Opera expanded its relationship with the Celo blockchain to introduce additional stablecoin-related features, including payment cards.
According to Opera, MiniPay has activated more than 12 million wallets and processed hundreds of millions of transactions since launch.
Opera executives defined MiniPay success as the proportion of active users, measured by the number of unique wallets and transaction frequency.
The company has also cited the establishment of a more extensive partner network, including on-ramps and off-ramps, as part of the effort to integrate MiniPay into local economies.
Positioning in the market of browsers
In 2019, Opera added Web3 functionality, including a built-in crypto wallet, and has been competing with other browsers to establish itself as an entry to digital assets.
The company’s strategy puts it in direct competition with privacy-oriented browsers that also focus on crypto-native features.
Although MiniPay’s adoption rates have attracted market attention, Opera has not released any information on the wallet’s role in generating revenue or on the long-term monetization of digital asset functionality.
The company’s stock has reacted positively to recent announcements, though questions remain about how wallet usage translates into financial performance.
Tether publishes open-source bitcoin mining
Outside the Tether Opera partnership, Tether has also announced the availability of MiningOS (MOS), an open-source operating system for Bitcoin mining. The program is also a scalable, modular platform designed for both hobby and large-scale industrial miners.
The software is described as a modular, scalable platform intended to support miners from individual hobbyists to large industrial operations.
According to Tether, MiningOS is built as a self-hosted architecture that connects devices through an integrated peer-to-peer network.
Tether stated that MiningOS is designed to remove dependence on closed systems and third-party vendors.
The company emphasized that the software introduces transparency and collaboration into mining infrastructure by avoiding centralized services or hidden dependencies.
Technical framework and licensing structure
MiningOS is released under the Apache 2.0 License, allowing free use, modification, and distribution. Tether stated that the system is built on Holepunch peer-to-peer protocols, which are intended to operate without centralized control points or external service dependencies.
The company had earlier indicated that it planned to launch an open-source mining operating system in June of last year, citing the need to reduce barriers to entry for new miners.
Tether stressed at the time that the value of enabling miners to compete without relying on costly, proprietary software and ecosystems.
