Celo Foundation and Opera Expand Partnership to Accelerate MiniPay's Global Stablecoin Adoption

The Celo Foundation, which operates an Ethereum-secured Layer 2 platform, has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Web3 browser Opera. The collaboration aims to dramatically boost the global reach and functionality of MiniPay, the stablecoin-based wallet integrated into Opera's browser.

The extended partnership was unveiled during Binance Blockchain Week and includes concrete plans for global expansion starting in 2026. Key initiatives include the introduction of stablecoin-backed payment cards, enhanced real-time merchant payment capabilities, and a joint "Mini App Roadshow" across Asia and South America in early 2026.

Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera, emphasized the mission: "Our goal is to give people a reliable stablecoin wallet that allows them to receive payments, save, and send payments—no matter where they are." The partnership targets bringing financial inclusion to a billion people by 2030 through low-cost, accessible stablecoin payments.

MiniPay has demonstrated remarkable growth since its September 2023 launch, with over 11 million activated wallets and more than 300 million transactions processed. This activity has helped push Celo to become a top Ethereum layer-2 by daily active users, boasting 700,000 DAUs and over 3 million weekly USDT users.

The wallet recently integrated with Mercado Pago (the digital payments platform of Latin American e-commerce giant Mercado Libre) and Brazil's PIX instant payment system, enabling stablecoin-to-real-time payments in Argentina and Brazil. Opera stated that "this early pilot will expand to all users globally to further reduce off-ramping friction."

This expansion occurs against a backdrop of significant stablecoin adoption in Latin America, where the region recorded nearly $1.5 trillion in crypto transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2025. Brazil leads with $318.8 billion in crypto value received, representing 109.9% period-over-period growth. Notably, over 90% of Brazilian crypto flows are stablecoin-related, with stablecoin purchases making up more than half of all exchange activity in Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.

The global stablecoin market is currently valued at over $310 billion according to CoinGecko data. The Celo-Opera partnership represents a strategic push to capture more of this growing market by making stablecoin payments "ubiquitous around the world" through mobile-first, user-friendly infrastructure.