Opera-Backed Stablecoin App MiniPay Rides Africa Demand to 15 Million Wallets

Why It Matters

MiniPay’s surge demonstrates strong demand for dollar‑denominated digital payments in regions with unstable currencies, giving Opera a foothold in the fast‑growing crypto‑finance market. The app’s scale also creates a platform for future monetization through services like virtual cards and tokenised gold.

Key Takeaways

• MiniPay reaches 15 million active wallets, 123% YoY growth.
• Users completed 360 million transactions, exceeding $300 million value.
• USDT dominates wallet holdings; MiniPay leads Tether Gold on Celo.
• Opera plans virtual cards and expands to Latin America payment rails.
• Revenue still undisclosed; MiniPay fuels Opera’s emerging‑market strategy.

Pulse Analysis

Across sub‑Saharan Africa, volatile local currencies and costly banking services have accelerated the uptake of stablecoin wallets, and Opera’s MiniPay is now the flagship example. The app’s user base jumped to 15 million active wallets—a 123 percent year‑on‑year increase—while transaction volume climbed to 360 million by the close of 2025, moving more than $300 million in peer‑to‑peer payments. By embedding the service in the Opera Mini browser and later releasing a standalone app, MiniPay leveraged an existing mobile audience to become one of the most widely used crypto‑payment solutions on the continent.

MiniPay runs on the Celo blockchain and is heavily anchored in USDT, the dollar‑pegged stablecoin issued by Tether, which accounts for the majority of wallet balances. The platform also hosts the bulk of Tether Gold (XAUT0) holders, making MiniPay the world’s largest conduit for tokenised gold on Celo. This asset mix enables users to preserve value in both fiat‑linked and precious‑metal‑linked digital forms, addressing the dual challenges of inflation and limited access to traditional savings instruments in emerging markets.

While Opera has yet to disclose direct revenue from MiniPay, the wallet is positioned as a strategic growth engine alongside the company’s AI‑browser ambitions. New features such as virtual debit cards and the “Pay Like a Local” integration with Latin America’s Mercado Pago and Brazil’s PIX system broaden the app’s utility and open avenues for fee‑based services. As competitors like Bitget Wallet and UglyCash vie for the same user base, MiniPay’s scale and partnership with Tether give it a competitive edge that could translate into significant monetization as financial inclusion deepens.