SKN | Opera Shares Jump 17% After Expanding Support for Tether Tokens in MiniPay

Opera rallies on crypto wallet expansion

Shares of Opera jumped more than 17% after the company announced expanded support for Tether tokens inside its self-custodial MiniPay wallet, signaling growing investor confidence in Opera’s crypto and payments strategy.

The browser maker said MiniPay will now support Tether’s dollar-backed USDT stablecoin alongside its gold-backed token, XAUT, broadening access to both fiat-linked and commodity-linked digital assets. The announcement helped reverse a recent slide in Opera’s stock, which had dipped to around $12.40 earlier in the week before surging to roughly $14.65 following the news.

MiniPay scales stablecoin usage in emerging markets

Opera said MiniPay has reached 12.6 million activated wallets, underscoring the scale of its crypto footprint. The wallet processed more than $153 million in stablecoin transactions in December alone, highlighting rising demand for digital dollars and alternative stores of value, particularly in emerging markets.

MiniPay is designed to abstract away blockchain complexity for users, allowing them to interact with stablecoins without managing private keys or navigating onchain mechanics directly. Rather than acting as a financial institution itself, MiniPay connects users to crypto on- and off-ramp partners such as Binance, Partna and Fonbank, helping bridge local payment rails with digital assets.

“Pay like a local” feature expands reach

A key part of Opera’s strategy is its “Pay like a local” feature, which integrates MiniPay with domestic payment systems. The company initially rolled out the feature in Argentina using Mercado Pago and in Brazil via Pix, before expanding to include instant SEPA payments across Europe and bank transfers in Nigeria.

Opera said the addition of USDT and XAUT strengthens MiniPay’s appeal in regions where access to U.S. dollars or gold exposure is limited, positioning the wallet as a practical tool for everyday payments and savings rather than purely speculative crypto use.

Tether growth underpins partnership

The expansion comes as Tether continues to post strong financial results. Earlier this month, the company reported more than $10 billion in net profit for 2025, driven largely by growth in USDT issuance and income from U.S. Treasury holdings. Tether has also been increasing its exposure to gold, purchasing up to $1 billion of the metal per month as part of a broader strategy that spans both stablecoins and hard assets.

For investors, Opera’s MiniPay announcement reinforces the view that mainstream consumer platforms are increasingly becoming distribution channels for stablecoins, tying browser adoption, payments infrastructure and crypto utility more closely together.