MiniPay, Opera’s ultralight self-custodial stablecoin wallet built on Celo, is taking another step in simplifying access to stablecoins through a new integration with Binance Connect, Binance’s official fiat-to-crypto gateway. This move unlocks seamless fiat on-ramps and expands payment options for users globally, significantly enhancing accessibility to digital assets.
The partnership addresses one of the biggest and persistent barriers to Web3 adoption: converting local currency into digital assets in a fast, affordable, and trustworthy way.
“From day one, MiniPay has been about practical access to digital finance,” said Charles Hamel, Head of Product, MiniPay. “Integrating Binance Connect is a key milestone in our ongoing collaboration with Binance, enabling us to bring even more value to users. With Binance’s global reach and deep liquidity, we’re bringing the stablecoin experience one step closer to everyday usage.”
Scaling up real-world stablecoin use
MiniPay is built on Celo, a mobile-first, carbon-negative blockchain designed for fast, low-cost payments. Celo’s sub-second finality and low fees provide the foundation for MiniPay’s seamless experience, which adds features like phone-number-based wallet UX, gas abstraction, and a self-custodial design to make sending and receiving stablecoins as easy as texting.
Launched first in September 2023 as an integration in the Opera Mini browser, MiniPay has since expanded to more than 50 countries, surpassing 7 million activated wallets. It is now also available as a standalone Android app, with an iOS version coming soon. MiniPay’s native ecosystem includes a range of Mini Apps for various use cases, including local utility bill payments, donations, and music streaming, that generate over 50 million weekly impressions and 5 million weekly app openings.
The integration of Binance Connect adds powerful new rails to MiniPay’s growing network of on/off-ramp partners and marks a key step in its evolution from a lightweight wallet to a practical tool for savings, peer-to-peer transfers, cross-border payments, and everyday commerce.
This milestone deepens MiniPay’s relationships with both Binance and the Celo ecosystem, and is part of a shared long-term mission to expand real-world stablecoin utility and lower barriers to Web3 adoption. As Celo recently celebrated its fifth anniversary – and following a successful transition to Ethereum Layer-2 – the integration underscores the network’s continued leadership in delivering scalable, user-friendly infrastructure tailored to mobile users in emerging and frontier markets.
“We’re thrilled to see our valued partners join forces to support the next wave of adoption on Celo,” said Isha Varshney, Celo Foundation’s Head of Ecosystem. “Since launch, MiniPay has served as a powerful onboarding tool – coupled with Binance’s over 260 million global users and proven track record as an industry leader, everyday users around the world can access the benefits of our open on-chain economy.”
“MiniPay and Binance share a vision for inclusive financial tools that work at a global scale — giving users access not just to stable digital assets, but to real-world utility that fits into daily life,” said Thomas Gregory, Vice President of Fiat at Binance. “With Binance Connect now integrated, users across various regions can move from fiat to stablecoins in seconds. This is the kind of practical infrastructure Web3 needs to onboard the next billion users.”
Binance Connect is now live in MiniPay. Users can access it via the Opera Mini browser or download the standalone Android app to start adding cash and transacting with stablecoins today.
To learn more, visit https://www.minipay.xyz and https://www.binance.com or contact:
Media Contact:
Kseniia Sycheva – kseniias@opera.com
About MiniPay
MiniPay is a lightweight, non-custodial stablecoin wallet built on the Celo blockchain and developed by Opera, designed to make digital finance accessible, affordable, and user-friendly—especially across emerging markets. Integrated directly into the Opera Mini browser and available as a standalone Android app, MiniPay enables users to send, receive, and save stablecoins like cUSD, USDC, and USDT with sub-cent fees, no gas management, and a phone number-linked experience. Since its launch in 2023, MiniPay has expanded to 53 countries and surpassed 7 million activated wallets, making it one of the fastest-growing stablecoin wallets globally. Learn more at www.minipay.xyz
About Binance
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 260 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means.
About Binance Connect
Powered by Binance, Binance Connect is a comprehensive fiat-to-crypto solution that provides access to Binance’s global liquidity and an extensive array of payment methods. Its mission is to simplify access to cryptocurrencies and Web3 services worldwide.
About Celo
Celo is an Ethereum Layer-2 and mobile-forward blockchain network built for the real world and designed for fast, low-cost payments worldwide. The Celo ecosystem consists of a decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchain technology stack (the Celo Platform), the CELO native token, USDC, and USDT (both enabled as gas currencies), several Mento stable assets (cUSD, cEUR, cREAL, eXOF), and popular, blue chip infrastructure including Aave, Uniswap V3, Curve, Chainlink, and Rarible, among others. Launched on Earth Day in 2020, the open-source Celo mainnet supports a rich ecosystem of projects (1,000+) contributing to Celo’s global mission of prosperity for all. For more about Celo, visit https://celo.org/.