Cryptocurrencies are becoming more popular with every passing day. However, for most users there is a slight barrier to entry in the form of the technology needed to buy, sell, and hodl cryptos. Opera – the fifth most popular internet browser – has created a pretty unique solution – a browser with a crypto wallet built in. The new Opera Crypto browser is currently in a private beta, but you can gain access to it on the Google Play Store. Unfortunately for desktop users, the crypto browser is currently only available on Android, however desktop users can expect to see it by the end of the year.
Opera is Lowering the Barrier to Crypto World Entry
For people just getting started, the crypto world can seem rather big and scary, with lots of confusing terms and exchanges constantly getting hacked. There is a rather steep learning curve required to safely navigate the minefield of hot and cold wallets, as well as centralized and decentralized exchanges. The nice thing about Opera’s new crypto browser is that users have one less thing to worry about. As soon as you load up the browser users are given their very own wallet, meaning they can simply head to an exchange and get started – no need to find a third party wallet. This helps new users to feel slightly safer and more secure, and this could help get fresh money into the crypto world.
“Having a Crypto Wallet in the browser brings the cash experience to the world of online payments,” Charles Hamel, product lead on Opera Crypto, said in a press release. “Paying with the Crypto Wallet is like sending digital cash straight from your phone, and we’ve just made it easier.”
Bringing Simple Crypto Payments to Mobile
Time for some technical talk. Opera Crypto utilizes the Ethereum Web3 API. This is a collection of libraries that gives developers the ability to interact with local or remote Ethereum nodes. The new Opera crypto wallet supports a variety of crypto tokens and popular crypto-collectibles like Crypto Kitties.
To make or receive a payment, all a user has to do is generate or scan a QR code – it’s really that simple. Due to the app being Android only for the time being, the wallet is totally secure thanks to the implementation of Android’s security features – like biometric login. The Opera crypto wallet is integrated with Coinbase so users can pay for goods on websites that support Coinbase accounts from the mobile wallet. One final – somewhat neat – thing about Opera is that they love crypto. Back in January they updated their mobile browser applications to prevent secret mining scripts from running and damaging user’s mobile devices. Sites like The Pirate Bay have been criticized recently for secretly mining crypto on user’s devices, and Opera clearly sees this as a problem that needs to be addressed.
The development and implementation of secure digital wallets such as Opera’s new crypto wallet is a great sign for the crypto industry. It enables people with a less technological understanding to gain access to the world of blockchain. In addition to removing barriers to entry, Opera’s new crypto wallet helps to push the case for cryptos to be more widely accepted as payment methods. If more secure mobile wallets are created, we could see the mass adoption of cryptos as payment methods in the next five years.
