KEY FACTS: Tether, the world's leading stablecoin issuer, has partnered with browser and technology company Opera to expand access to its USD₮ (USDT) stablecoin and gold-backed Tether Gold (XAUT) by integrating them into Opera's self-custodial MiniPay wallet, which is built on the Celo blockchain. This collaboration targets emerging markets in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, enabling millions of users to easily send, receive, and hold stable, dollar-denominated value for savings, transfers, and inflation protection through a mobile-first, low-barrier platform that requires only a phone number to activate. MiniPay, now available in 60 countries, has achieved rapid growth with over 12.6 million activated wallets, more than 350 million transactions processed to date, a 50% increase in on-chain users in Q4 2025 (mostly from emerging markets), and over $153 million sent or received in December 2025 alone.
Source: Tether
Tether and Opera Partner to Integrate USDT, Tether Gold in Opera’s MiniPay wallet
Stablecoin giant Tether has partnered with browser and technology company Opera to significantly expand access to its flagship USD₮ (USDT) stablecoin and gold-backed token Tether Gold (XAUT). The collaboration centers on Opera's innovative self-custodial wallet, MiniPay, built on the mobile-first Celo blockchain. Announced on February 2, 2026, the initiative seeks to empower millions in emerging markets, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, by providing easy, reliable access to stable, dollar-denominated value for everyday savings, transfers, and protection against inflation.
Tether, the world's leading stablecoin issuer with a long-standing focus on global financial inclusion, emphasized that this expansion aligns directly with its core mission, which is to provide simple, reliable access to stable value for people who need it most. According to Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, the integration allows MiniPay users to send, receive, and hold USDT and XAUT seamlessly with just a few taps, bypassing many of the traditional complexities associated with blockchain technology and cryptocurrency management.
MiniPay stands out as one of the fastest-growing self-custodial stablecoin wallets globally. Designed specifically for mobile-first regions where smartphones are widespread but access to conventional banking remains limited, the wallet requires only a mobile phone number to activate and no complex onboarding or extensive documentation is needed. This low-barrier approach has fueled rapid adoption, as MiniPay now boasts over 12.6 million activated wallets and has processed more than 350 million transactions to date. In December 2025 alone, users sent or received over $153 million through the platform, highlighting surging demand for stable, dollar-based digital payments in these regions.
The wallet's growth accelerated notably in the fourth quarter of 2025, with a 50% increase in on-chain users, predominantly from emerging markets. Embedding MiniPay directly into Opera's widely used mobile browser ecosystem has made digital finance more accessible and affordable, targeting the "next billion users" who often rely on mobile devices as their primary gateway to the internet and financial tools.
Beyond USDT, the addition of Tether Gold (XAUT), a tokenized real-world asset backed by physical gold, offers users an inflation-resistant savings option. XAUT has seen strong performance amid rising gold prices, recently reaching an all-time high of around $5,600 per token in late January 2026, mirroring broader spot gold market trends. With a circulating supply of approximately 712,747 tokens and a market capitalization of $3.4 billion (per CoinGecko data), XAUT provides a digital alternative for hedging against local currency devaluation, a persistent challenge in many emerging economies.
While demand for stablecoins remains robust in underserved regions, driven by needs for cross-border remittances, savings preservation, and everyday transactions, the overall stablecoin market has faced headwinds. Total stablecoin market capitalization began declining in December 2025, halting a period of sustained growth, according to analytics firm CryptoQuant. Net flows to exchanges have turned sharply negative, with over $4 billion in outflows recorded recently, following an initial drop of $9.6 billion. The wider crypto market has also retreated, falling 38% from its October peak of $4.4 trillion in total capitalization, reflecting heightened risk aversion among some investors.
Despite these challenges, initiatives like the Tether-Opera collaboration underscore the enduring utility of stablecoins in real-world applications, especially in mobile-centric emerging markets. MiniPay's focus on integration with local real-time payment systems, such as recent pilots with Mercado Pago in Latin America and PIX in Brazil, further reduces friction for converting stablecoins into fiat for daily use, with plans to expand such features globally.
As emerging markets continue to drive adoption of digital financial tools, this deepened integration of USDT and XAUT into MiniPay could play a pivotal role in advancing financial inclusion. The combination of Tether's stable value expertise with Opera's user-friendly, mobile-optimized platform aims to deliver practical, decentralized financial empowerment to populations long excluded from traditional systems.
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