Tether teams up with Opera to widen USDT and tokenized gold access via MiniPay
Tether has partnered with Opera to bring broader support for USDT and Tether Gold (XAUT) to Opera’s MiniPay self-custodial wallet, a move aimed at expanding access to stable value tools across emerging, mobile-first markets.
What changed
- MiniPay users can now send, receive, hold USDT and convert part of their balance into Tether’s tokenized gold (XAUT) to hedge against inflation and local currency volatility.
- The MiniPay wallet runs on the Celo blockchain and targets regions such as Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Opera says MiniPay recorded 50% growth in Q4 2025 and is live in 60 countries with 12.6 million activated wallets.
- MiniPay is available on both Android and iOS.
Background and usage metrics
- MiniPay first added USDT support in July 2024 with the MiniPay V2 update, which introduced “Pockets,” a stablecoin swap feature powered by Celo’s Mento protocol that lets users swap between cUSD, USDT and USDC with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
- Demand for USDT on the wallet has surged: as of December 2025 MiniPay hosted more than 7 million phone-verified USDT wallets. That month users processed over 96 million USDT transfers and about 3.5 million peer-to-peer payments, according to Tether.
Why it matters
- Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino framed the rollout as part of the company’s mission to provide “simple, reliable access to stable value,” enabling everyday use cases such as remittances, dollar-denominated savings and gold-backed protection.
- Jørgen Arnesen, Opera’s EVP Mobile, said millions are now “holding, sending, and saving in digital dollars seamlessly,” often for the first time — highlighting MiniPay’s role in delivering on-chain money to users who need it most.
- The addition of XAUT gives users an on-chain, inflation-resistant savings option alongside USDT.
Market reaction and context
- Opera shares jumped on the news, climbing as much as 18% intraday on Feb. 2, closing up about 13.5% and gaining another 3.55% in after-hours trading.
- The partnership continues Opera’s push into Web3: the company has been expanding its browser and mobile offerings with integrated stablecoin wallets, dApp access and savings tools aimed at mainstream mobile users.
Bottom line
The tie-up between Tether and Opera boosts USDT and tokenized gold availability in regions that are increasingly mobile-first and under-served by traditional financial infrastructure—another step toward mainstreaming stablecoins and tokenized assets for everyday financial use.
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