Opera, a leading web browser, announced today the integration for Bitcoin and Tron wallets directly in its browser. This follows the integration of an Ethereum crypto wallet and dapp support last year.
Though it is already possible to use third-party services to access dapps and wallets within browsers, like the Google Chrome extension Moon, which lets Amazon customers pay with crypto, or Metamask, which lets you run dApps straight in your browser, Opera cuts straight to the chase. Customers can now use Bitcoin, Tron and Ethereum to pay for things in crypto.
Opera’s integration of the TRON wallet ends a beta that started back in summer. Opera users can also access dApps, providing them access to a variety of applications that exist outside of the Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. According to research by TheNextWeb earlier this year, 95 percent of activity on the TRON network was for gambling sites.
“Through social networking, gaming and entertainment, TRON is moving on all cylinders to unite the cryptocurrency community and bring blockchain to everyone,” said Ryan Dennis, head of marketing at TRON.
Opera announced earlier this year that users can buy Ethereum straight from wallets integrated into its browser, part of a partnership with Swedish crypto brokerage Safello. The service, though, is only available in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
And a few months before that, in a public release in December 2018, Opera announced support for ERC-20 tokens and crypto collectibles, like CryptoKitties. Opera’s crypto-ready mobile browser, the Opera Touch browser, is also available for iOS devices.
Crypto browsers
This makes Opera one of the only major browsers to have native crypto support. On Chrome and Safari browsers, users have to use third-party crypto extensions to access decentralised services.
Opera’s main competitor in the crypto space is the privacy browser, Brave. Brave rewards users in BAT tokens for watching advertisements, a move it says cuts down on intrusive advertising practises. Brave announced earlier this month it had reached 8 million monthly users, and proposed a new type of decentralized, crypto-enhanced VPN.
Other leaders in the crypto industry, including exchanges Coinbase and Binance, have either released or are working on mobile dapp browsers that integrate crypto wallets.
The addition of new features, part of Android 54, continues Opera’s advancement into new services. Opera offers a free VPN, built-in ad blocker, and integrated messenger, and has also overhauled the design of its Android app.