Opera, the company behind the popular multi-platform web browser, announced the successful integration between its highly praised Crypto Browser Project and Polygon, an Ethereum scaling platform onboarding millions to Web3.
The integration with the new Crypto Browser Project on mobile and desktop, which only opened its public Beta in mid-January, will give its user base in-browser access to the vast ecosystem of decentralized apps (dApps) on the Polygon network.
Bluechip dApps on Polygon span a range of verticals from gaming to decentralized finance (DeFi). This includes several popular decentralized exchanges and lending platforms such as Aave, Uniswap, TokenLon and 1inch, and innovative DeFi Savings tools like “No-Loss Lottery” PoolTogether. Polygon also houses substantially more gaming and NFT dApps than other chains outside of Ethereum, including Decentraland, Sandbox, Aavegotchi, My Crypto Heroes and Atlantis World and Decentral Games among many others.
Integration with Polygon is a key strategy in Opera’s mission to seamlessly onboard millions of users to Web3 and to do so in an environmentally-conscious way. Polygon’s fast, scalable, and ultra-low fee environment has made it one of the most popular Ethereum scaling solutions among users and developers alike. With Ethereum gas fees surging to unsustainable levels, the browser developer has moved quickly to integrate the project and allow a direct and efficient way for users to interact with Ethereum’s leading scaling ecosystem.
Opera’s non-custodial crypto wallet supports the Ethereum Web3 API, making interacting with these dApps simple for users. The wallet — which is built into the browser — will also allow them to transact with MATIC.
Critically, the direct integration includes a direct fiat to crypto on ramp and thus bypasses the need for users to transfer assets from Ethereum to Polygon — increasing the environmental benefits of using Polygon’s solution. Bridge contracts alone account for about 70% of Polygon PoS gas usage. By circumventing the need to bridge assets, Opera users can dramatically reduce their carbon footprint.
Susie Batt, Crypto Ecosystem Lead at Opera, says: “After another year of explosive growth, Web3 is on the verge of going mainstream. However, to attract mainstream audiences, Web3 needs a Web2 makeover — both in terms of user interface and user experience. That’s where Opera excels. Our Crypto Browser Project makes access to the decentralized web as smooth and enjoyable as Opera users already enjoy with Web2.
By integrating Polygon, we are removing the last road-block of high gas fees and slow transaction speeds and opening our community of users up to Polygon’s thriving ecosystem of dApps.”
Arjun Kalsy, VP of Growth at Polygon, said, “The speed at which Opera is moving to make Web3 accessible is incredible,” said Arjun Kalsy, VP of Growth at Polygon. “Mass adoption of Block technology is our common goal and now with Polygon integrated within their crypto browser, hundreds of millions more users can now enjoy low fees, fast transactions, and direct access to the 7,000+ Dapps on the Polygon ecosystem.”
The Opera Crypto Browser Project supports Polygon dApps (Web3), ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens with ERC-1155 integration planned within the coming weeks. The browser allows users to make fiat to crypto purchases of Matic as well as p2p transfers on the Polygon network. The iOS version of Opera’s Crypto Browser Project with Polygon integration will ship in the coming few weeks.
About Opera
Opera is a global web innovator with an engaged and growing base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users who seek a better internet experience. Building on over 25 years of innovation that started with browser products, Opera is now leveraging its brand and highly engaged user base in order to expand its business into new segments. Today, Opera offers users around the world a range of products and services that include PC and mobile browsers, the newsreader Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, crypto, e-commerce and classifieds. In 2018, Opera introduced the first browser with a built-in crypto wallet and web3 support. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (OPRA). In January 2022, Opera released its “Crypto Browser project” in beta. The browser provides seamless access to Web3, support for cryptocurrency and NFT exchanges, decentralized apps (dApps), and features a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet.
About Polygon
Polygon is the leading platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its growing suite of products offers developers easy access to all major scaling and infrastructure solutions: L2 solutions (ZK Rollups and Optimistic Rollups), sidechains, hybrid solutions, stand-alone and enterprise chains, data availability solutions, and more. Polygon’s scaling solutions have seen widespread adoption with 7000+ applications hosted, 1B+ total transactions processed, ~100M+ unique user addresses, and $5B+ in assets secured.