Shares of Opera jumped sharply on Monday after the company announced an expansion of stablecoin support inside its MiniPay crypto wallet, highlighting growing investor interest in digital payments tailored to emerging markets.
Opera (NASDAQ: OPRA) stock climbed as high as $14.75, marking a gain of nearly 18% on the day, following news that MiniPay now supports Tether’s USDT stablecoin alongside Tether Gold (XAUT). The update allows users to hold, send, and receive dollar- and gold-pegged digital assets directly from their smartphones, without needing a separate crypto app.
MiniPay is a self-custodial wallet built on the Celo blockchain and embedded directly into Opera’s mobile browser. This design has helped it gain traction across regions such as Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, where access to traditional banking services can be limited, slow, or costly.
With the addition of USDT, users can more easily transact in digital dollars for everyday payments, transfers, and savings. Opera said the wallet has already recorded more than 12 million activated wallets and processed hundreds of millions of transactions. In December alone, the company reported around 7 million phone-verified USDT wallets and more than 3 million peer-to-peer USDT payments.
MiniPay also integrates with local payment partners and exchanges, making it easier for users to move funds in and out of the wallet. According to Opera, more than $150 million was sent or received through MiniPay in December, underscoring its growing role as a payment tool rather than just a crypto wallet.
In addition to USDT, MiniPay supports Tether Gold, a token backed by physical gold. Users can convert into XAUT directly within the app, offering an alternative savings option in countries where local currencies may be volatile or losing value. Tether has increasingly positioned gold-backed tokens as a hedge for users seeking stability beyond fiat currencies.
The announcement follows closely on the heels of Tether’s latest financial disclosure, which reported more than $10 billion in net profit for 2025. USDT circulation has grown to roughly $186 billion, backed primarily by U.S. Treasuries and other reserve assets, according to the company’s most recent attestation.
Opera Limited
For Opera, the MiniPay expansion strengthens its push into financial services for mobile-first users, while for Tether, it widens the real-world use of its stablecoins in regions where demand for dollar-denominated assets remains strong.
