Opera Ships iOS Version of Its Crypto Browser

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Apr 14, 2022, 09:17 ET

First dedicated crypto browser to provide 1 Billion iOS users with access to Web3
The launch of iOS support follows initial integration of the Crypto Browser Project with Windows, Mac, and Android and looks to take mass adoption of Web3 to new levels

OSLO, Norway, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Opera, [NASDAQ: OPRA], the company behind the popular multi-platform web browser, today unveils the latest update to its "Crypto Browser Project," offering more users direct, user-friendly access to Web3 services with the arrival of the highly-anticipated version for iOS.

Web 3 is gaining momentum, with a record 34 thousand developers having joined the space in 2021 to work on a growing number of dApps. The Web3-experience for users has, however, been oftentimes far from intuitive and traditionally not optimized for iOS users. With iOS support, Opera's Crypto Browser, which is a dedicated web3 browser with a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet, is primed to take adoption and ease of use up a notch.

Opera Crypto Browser's iOS release follows the earlier January beta release on Mac, Windows, and Android. Opera's browser is tailored to the needs of veteran crypto users and new adopters alike. Opera's focus for the Crypto Browser Project is a simplified user experience across decentralized apps (dapps), games, and metaverse platforms. The browser also features a news and data aggregator named "Crypto Corner," a bespoke start page focused on live crypto information and updates, crypto asset prices and gas fees, as well as crypto events, airdrops, and even podcasts.

Jorgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera, said: "The interest in Web3 is continuing to grow. The Opera Crypto Browser Project was built to simplify the Web3 user experience that has often been bewildering for mainstream users. Opera believes Web3 has to be easy to use in order to reach its full potential and a mass adoption."

In the Opera Crypto Browser Project, users gain access to an Integrated non-custodial Crypto Wallet supporting Ethereum, Polygon, and Celo blockchain ecosystems with more blockchain integration already on the roadmap. The browser's key features include a non-custodial crypto wallet with the ability to buy crypto with fiat, send, receive, and swap the tokens of any supported blockchain, as well as seamless and direct access to decentralized exchanges, Web3-based NFTs, and gaming Dapps – including over 7,000 Polygon-based services. Web3 can be accessed as seamlessly as accessing any website on Web2.

The browser on iOS also boasts the ability to restore any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible Wallet with the native Opera Wallet, allowing users to integrate their existing assets and balances into their Crypto Browser setup.

With more than 25 years of experience building web browsers, Opera is considered among the top privacy and security browsers in the world. The Crypto Browser project is dedicated to further improve its users' security on Web3 and features advanced features such as a native ad and tracker blocker, pop-up blocker, and an intuitive Cookie Dialogue Blocker. Also included is cryptocurrency mining protection, blocking any 'cryptojacking' scripts that could compromise iOS devices (and decrease their performance).

Opera's Crypto Browser is also purposefully designed to address the increasing consumer demand for greater Web3 access with a streamlined user experience. The size of the market opportunity is significant, with PWC estimating Web3 and the metaverse to add $1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Despite this extraordinary potential, the current level of uptake to these new industries is falling behind expectations, primarily because access to technologies and the user experience of individual apps is unnecessarily complex. Opera addresses these issues with its user-friendly Web3 browser.

The browser was also designed to address crypto's growing pains. As Web3 is surging, users and developers increasingly look towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly PoS and Layer 2 chains which enable cheaper transactions and a much lower energy consumption than PoW blockchains. To address this, Opera has partnered with Polygon and will be integrating more PoS chains in the future. Polygon consumes just 0.00079 terawatts (TWh) of electricity per year — significantly less than the energy-intensive Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchain networks which average between 35 to 140 (TWh) per year.

Opera's Crypto Browser represents an important step toward simplifying and streamlining user access to Web3 and beyond; with iOS integration, Opera pushes the envelope even further for hundreds of millions of iOS users worldwide.

Download the Opera Crypto Browser for iOS here.

About Opera
Opera is a global web innovator with an engaged and growing base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users who seek a better internet experience. Building on over 25 years of innovation that started with browser products, Opera is now leveraging its brand and highly engaged user base in order to expand its business into new segments. Today, Opera offers users around the world a range of products and services that include PC and mobile browsers, the newsreader Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, crypto, e-commerce and classifieds. In 2018, Opera introduced the first browser with a built-in crypto wallet and web3 support. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (OPRA). In January 2022, Opera released the first version of its Crypto Browser Project, a dedicated web browser tweaked to crypto-enthusiasts and the crypto-curious.

SOURCE Opera Limited