Since launching in Nigeria, MiniPay, an ultralight (2MB), non-custodial stablecoin wallet built on Celo, has expanded to three additional countries (Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa), reaching over 3 million activated wallets in less than a year. Now, MiniPay is adding Pockets, an innovative new feature enabling one-click swaps between cUSD and stable assets just integrated: Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC. Developed in strategic partnership with blockchain innovator Mento Labs, Pockets will optimize digital currency management while further delivering on MiniPay’s commitment to making Web3 solutions accessible to all.
The first of its kind, Pockets is a feature launched to enable MiniPay users to seamlessly swap between cUSD, USDC, and USDT quickly and without complication. Powered by the Mento Platform, the new “Drag & Swap” functionality, in particular, allows users to switch from one stablecoin to another or swap between all three stablecoins simply by dragging one pocket into another – all with sub-cent fees and no hidden costs, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience.
Today’s upgrade bolsters existing support for Mento’s Celo Dollar stablecoin (cUSD) and adds support for leading stablecoins, USDT and USDC. Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, both pegged to the US dollar, represent over 85% of the total stablecoin market. With strong existing user bases in countries throughout Africa, the introduction of USDT and USDC enables new use cases and further simplifies onboarding. In addition to providing users with more flexibility and access to stable assets, MiniPay’s upgrades include a widened network of on- and off-ramp providers to increase cash-in and out options.
“From the outset, MiniPay has been about simplicity and financial empowerment, and our collaboration with Mento to create Pockets is another big step forward in that mission. Not only do our users now have more flexibility, but with Drag & Swap, MiniPay retains the ease-of-use that has defined the user experience since the beginning. We’re bringing advanced Web3 technologies to a Web2 audience in the African continent by packaging them in ways that are comprehensible and accessible,” Jørgen Arnsen, EVP of Mobile at Opera.
“MiniPay Pockets enable seamless transactions with stablecoins to onboard users to the digital economy. Mento Labs is very proud to support MiniPay users with easy and efficient stablecoin swaps on the Mento Platform,” Markus Franke, CEO of Mento Labs.
Significant, Sustained Adoption and Future Forward Outlook
Piloted in Nigeria, MiniPay has since been rolled out in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa with 3 million unique wallets – making it the fastest-growing wallet on the continent. MiniPay’s growth has demonstrated the need for straightforward, secure access to stable currencies and decentralized applications. Core features such as gas fee abstraction, ultra-low transaction fees (less than one cent per transfer), and instant processing have provided MiniPay’s growing user base with inexpensive and efficient peer-to-peer payments. The simple user interface further lowers barriers to entry for new users. Simultaneously, best-in-class cash-in/cash-out options offer maximum flexibility, integrating partners for each country of operation that bring users competitive USD stablecoin rates.
In addition to the new Pockets feature, MiniPay also now features a Discover Page for the dApps integrated within the wallet. The Discover Page organizes the many native decentralized applications, empowering users with direct access to tools such as Universal Basic Income protocols, savings applications, games, and more. The growing roster of integrated dApps introduces even first-time users to the benefits of Web3 technology to solve everyday challenges, like paying for bills and utilities directly without cashing out to local currency.
The introduction of Pockets and the integration of key stablecoins USDC and USDT support Opera and the Celo Foundation’s joint mission of simplifying the complexities of on-chain finance. MiniPay is bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3, ensuring that financial technologies are within reach for everyone and encouraging broad community involvement in the digital economy.
Experience the future of simplified, secure digital finance with MiniPay – download Opera Mini today.
About Opera
Opera is a web innovator building on more than 25 years of innovation that started with the Opera web browser. While Opera is leveraging its brand and engaged user base in order to grow and develop new products and services for people who seek a better internet experience, Opera’s PC and mobile web browsers, content discovery platform Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, Web3 and e-commerce are already the trusted choices of hundreds of millions of active and engaged users. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the OPRA ticker symbol. Download and access Opera’s products and services from www.opera.com.
About Celo
Celo is an emerging Ethereum Layer-2 and mobile-first 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 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/.