Crypto may be a very popular topic, but there are still very few people who really use it on a daily basis. Opera changes this by integrating blockchain into the browser.
Opera is the maker of the browser of the same name. The ‘Opera Crypto Browser’ is a variant of the regular version of the browser, but it has a built-in cryptocurrency wallet and explicit ‘Web3 support’. The browser has been around for a while, but it was only in beta until now. It doesn’t appear that this has changed yet, but it is likely that the stable release near.
Integration of dApps and Bitcoin in browser
Web3 applications such as decentralized apps can also be accessed through regular browsers, but Opera’s goal is to integrate capabilities directly into the app. The ‘Additional Security Capabilities and Decentralization of Layer 1 Protocols’ to be the main reason for this. It is not mainly about Layer 1 blockchains, but about Layer 2 protocols. For now, Bitcoin (BTC), Celo, IXO, Nervos Polygon (MATIC), StarkEx, Solana (SOL), and Ronin have been added. Presumably in the future more protocols be supportedas the crypto world continues to evolve.
dlowering the threshold
OPart of the possibilities is that you can access dApps (decentralized applications) on the Polygon and Solana blockchains directly via the browser. It should significantly lower the barrier to the use of Web3 software, according to Jorgen Arnesen, CEO of Opera’s mobile division. He thinks Web3 will eventually be a mainstream web technology. Then users will no longer need to know that they are interacting with it. An example of a good application is a decentralized way to pay for things on the internet, but also to be paid in a decentralized way by people you meet online.
In 2018, the software maker announced that it was going to integrate blockchain technology into its products and the first partnerships were signed. The umbrella of Opera browsers has such a 380 million users.