- Microsoft is privately testing an Ethereum Web 3.0 wallet baked into the Edge browser
- The discovery was made by a software researcher pseudonymously called Albacore
- Albacore believes it’s likely that the crypto wallet will be rolled out to the public after the closed testing phase
Microsoft is reportedly working on an Ethereum Web 3.0 wallet after pseudonymous crypto researcher Albacore discovered crypto wallet code baked inside the Microsoft Edge browser. Albacore noted that the wallet is operational which points to it being in the final stages of development and a possibility that the tech giant will open it to the public. News about the Web 3.0 wallet comes a year after Microsoft announced Mesh, its own version of the metaverse.
DApp Explorer and Crypto Trading on Edge?
According to the information posted on Twitter by Albacore, the tech heavyweight is also working on a DApp explorer and a way for users to access virtual currencies on Coinbase, adding that the features are probably only open to the wallet’s development team.
Newest in the gauntlet of questionable upcoming Microsoft Edge features, a crypto wallet 💸
Not really sure how to feel about this kind of thing being baked into the default browser, what are your thoughts?
More screenshots of the UI in the next tweet ➡️ pic.twitter.com/GAUPiZGLIY— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) March 17, 2023
Albacore also noted that the wallet is working as expected. Others who have tested the feature include BleepingComputer. According to BleepingComputer, the onboarding process includes a warning to testers that Microsoft won’t be reliable for any “loss of funds.”
Microsoft Regularly Tests New Features
BleepingComputer’s test results revealed that the wallet is built on the Ethereum blockchain and supports other Ethereum-based accounts. Although the wallet is built inside the Microsoft Edge browser, it lets testers choose whether to hold their funds inside the wallet or in an “extension wallet,” based on their crypto management preferences.
Microsoft is yet to release an official statement about the private Web 3.0 wallet, with a spokesperson only saying that the tech heavyweight “regularly tests new features” without directly mentioning the wallet. Microsoft isn’t a stranger to the decentralized world after launching Azure Heroes, an NFT-based rewards system for blockchain developers.
Although testers have reported using the wallet “just fine,” Microsoft is yet to announce if and when the wallet will be open to the public.
