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 CEO: Will Launch New Product Within 30 Days
Gate News reported that on March 18, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted on social media stating that the Tether product team is preparing an "important new product" that is expected to launch within 30 days.
GateNews6h ago
Tether Launches Cross-Platform BitNet LoRA Framework for AI Training on Consumer Devices
Tether's QVAC division announced on March 17, 2026, the launch of the world's first cross-platform LoRA fine-tuning framework for Microsoft's BitNet models (1-bit LLMs), enabling billion-parameter AI training and inference on consumer GPUs and smartphones.
CryptopulseElite16h ago
Tether Launches AI Training Framework for Smartphones and Consumer GPUs
Tether has launched a new AI training framework that allows for fine-tuning large language models on consumer devices such as smartphones and non-Nvidia GPUs. By utilizing Microsoft’s BitNet architecture and LoRA techniques, it provides substantial reductions in memory usage and computational costs, supporting a variety of chipsets. This development is in line with the trend of cryptocurrency companies expanding into AI and computing infrastructure.
TapChiBitcoin17h ago
Gate Daily Report (March 18): SEC and CFTC Clarify That Most Tokens Are Not Securities; Tether Launches New AI Framework
Bitcoin price oscillates around $74,140, with the U.S. SEC and CFTC issuing new guidelines clarifying that most cryptocurrencies are not securities, providing clear guidance for the market. Tether launches an AI fine-tuning framework. The market continues to monitor the impact of high interest rates and geopolitical tensions on the economy.
MarketWhisper17h ago
