Tether and Opera Partner to Bring USD₮ and Gold Access to Millions via MiniPay

TLDR:

• MiniPay processed over 153 million USD in December 2025, showing strong demand for stable payments.
• Celo achieved 506% user growth in 12 months, becoming the fastest-growing native USD₮ blockchain.
• MiniPay recorded 7 million phone-verified wallets with 300,000 unique USD₮ buyers in December alone.
• Users can now access Tether Gold through XAUt0, offering inflation protection after 50% gold gains.
  

Tether has expanded USD₮ and Tether Gold support within MiniPay, Opera’s self-custodial wallet on the Celo blockchain.

The partnership aims to provide millions of users across emerging markets with stable, dollar-denominated financial tools. MiniPay has activated over 12.6 million wallets and processed 350 million transactions.

The initiative addresses financial inclusion challenges in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

MiniPay Records Strong Growth Across Emerging Economies

Opera’s MiniPay wallet has emerged as one of the largest self-custodial stablecoin platforms globally. The wallet recorded 3.64 million estimated on-chain users on Celo as of recent counts. During the fourth quarter of 2025, MiniPay experienced 50% growth in on-chain users.

December 2025 marked a notable period for platform adoption. MiniPay counted 7 million phone-verified USD₮ wallets by month’s end.

The platform saw 300,000 unique USD₮ buyers in December, representing a 33% increase from November. Celo became the fastest-growing native USD₮ chain with 506% user growth over 12 months.

The user base expanded from 825,000 to 5 million during this period. MiniPay users initiated over 96 million USD₮ in stablecoin transfers throughout December. The platform also recorded more than 3.5 million peer-to-peer payments during the same month.

Users added over 49 million USD in cash to their wallets through local partners. These partners include Fonbank, Partna, Daimo, Cashramp, Binance, and Bybit.

More than 153 million USD was sent or received through MiniPay in December alone.

Digital Gold and Stablecoin Integration Enhances User Options

The integration extends beyond USD₮ to include Tether Gold through XAUt0 support. This feature allows users to hold tokenized physical gold within their mobile wallets. Gold prices increased nearly 50% throughout 2025, making XAUt0 an attractive savings option.

Users can convert portions of their balance into XAUt0 with a single tap. The feature maintains liquidity while offering protection against currency devaluation. Tether Gold represents one of the most established tokenized real-world assets available.

According to Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, the company’s mission centers on providing accessible stable value. “By supporting USD₮ and XAUt0 in MiniPay, we’re helping create tools that make digital assets genuinely useful,” Ardoino stated. He noted the focus extends to sending money, saving in dollars, and protecting value in gold.

Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera, addressed the platform’s reach and impact on financial accessibility. “Integrating USD₮ directly into MiniPay turns smartphone reach into real financial access,” Arnesen explained. He added that millions of users are now holding, sending, and saving in digital dollars seamlessly.

USD₮ maintains a market capitalization exceeding 186 billion USD. The stablecoin remains the most widely used digital dollar globally.

MiniPay’s simplified interface allows users to transact without understanding blockchain complexities. The partnership connects local economies directly to Tether’s global liquidity network.

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