February 3 News, the stablecoin giant Tether announced a partnership with MiniPay, a self-custody wallet under Opera, further expanding the use cases of USDT and Tether Gold (XAU₮) in emerging markets. Following the announcement, Opera’s stock price surged nearly 18% intraday and closed with a double-digit gain, demonstrating strong market recognition for this crypto payment initiative.
According to the announcement, MiniPay users can now send, receive, and hold USDT directly, as well as convert some of their balances into XAU₮ as a digital gold hedge against inflation and local currency depreciation. MiniPay operates on the Celo blockchain and primarily targets mobile-first regions such as Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. In Q4 2025 alone, user growth in these regions reached 50%.
Currently, MiniPay covers 60 countries with approximately 12.6 million active wallets. Since introducing USDT in 2024, demand has continued to rise, and by December 2025, over 7 million USDT wallets verified via mobile phone had been accumulated. In December alone, users completed over 96 million USDT transfers and 3.5 million P2P payments, demonstrating the strong appeal of stablecoins in cross-border remittances and digital savings scenarios.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that the goal of this partnership is to provide a more convenient entry point for people who truly need stable value tools, whether for daily payments, dollarized savings, or long-term value preservation through tokenized gold. Jørgen Arnesen, Vice President of Opera’s mobile business, also noted that many users are experiencing “digital dollars” on-chain for the first time, which is significant for improving financial inclusion.
As Opera continues to integrate Web3 features into its core products—from stablecoin wallets to decentralized app gateways and savings and exchange tools—this partnership is seen as a crucial step toward mainstream adoption of digital assets.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Tether-linked Super PAC’s first $300,000 spending went to a company co-founded by the CEO, allegedly involving pay-to-play and favoritism.
A super political action committee affiliated with Tether filed paperwork with the U.S. Federal Election Commission showing that its first $300k expenditure went to Nxum Group, founded by Tether U.S. CEO Bo Hines, to buy campaign ads for Georgia Republican candidate Clay Fuller, raising questions about pay-to-play.
GateNews4h ago
Tether Launches Open-Source Local AI SDK
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, criticizes centralized AI and champions decentralization through the QVAC SDK, allowing local AI model deployment. This shift enhances data privacy and user control, positioning Tether at the convergence of blockchain and AI, challenging dominant tech firms.
Coinfomania04-11 06:05
Tether CEO：USDT 在 Hyperliquid 上占 HIP-3 交易量 7.8%
Gate News message, on April 10, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted that USDT’s adoption on Hyperliquid is rapidly increasing. Data shows that in less than three months, USDT has grown from having almost no share on Hyperliquid to accounting for the rest.
GateNews04-10 14:09
Tether launches open-source AI toolkit QVAC SDK, positioning it as a general-purpose artificial intelligence foundation module
Tether’s QVAC team launched the QVAC SDK, which is an open-source, cross-platform AI development toolkit aimed at building the intelligent ecosystem of the future and supporting a wide range of devices. QVAC is seen as a next-generation intelligent framework with modular and infinitely extensible features to adapt to future development.
GateNews04-09 12:11
A CEX co-founder donates $5.4 million to the UK’s Reform UK party
A CEX co-founder, Ben Delo, donated $5.4 million to the Reform UK party, and the donation took place before new UK regulations came into effect. Delo was previously fined $10 million for violating anti–money laundering compliance and received a pardon from Donald Trump. Reform UK positions itself as a pro-cryptocurrency political party and is currently facing a pause order on crypto donations. After relocating to the UK, Delo plans to be exempt from donation limits.
GateNews04-09 10:47
