KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Tether expands USD₮ and Tether Gold support in Opera’s MiniPay wallet, enhancing financial access in emerging markets.
- MiniPay’s user base grew by 50% in Q4 2025, with significant adoption in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
- Celo emerges as the fastest-growing USD₮ chain, with a 506% increase in users over the past year.
- MiniPay facilitates over $153 million in transactions in December, highlighting the demand for stable, dollar-based payments.
On February 2, 2026, Tether, the leading stablecoin issuer, announced the expansion of USD₮ and Tether Gold (XAUt0) support within MiniPay, Opera’s self-custodial wallet built on the Celo blockchain. This initiative aims to provide millions of users in emerging markets with stable, dollar-denominated access to value and savings, reinforcing Tether’s role in advancing global financial inclusion.
USD₮, with a market capitalization exceeding $186 billion, remains the most widely used digital dollar globally. Its integration into MiniPay allows users to send, receive, and hold USD₮ effortlessly, bypassing the complexities of blockchain navigation. Opera’s MiniPay wallet has emerged as one of the largest self-custodial stablecoin wallets worldwide, boasting over 12.6 million activated wallets, 350 million transactions, and an estimated 3.64 million on-chain users on Celo.
Accelerating Adoption and Integration
In the fourth quarter of 2025, MiniPay experienced a 50% growth in on-chain users, highlighting the accelerating adoption of USD₮ across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. As of December 2025, MiniPay had 7 million phone-verified USD₮ wallets, with 300,000 unique buyers of USD₮ in December alone, marking a 33% month-over-month increase.
Celo has become the fastest-growing native USD₮ chain, with user growth of 506% over the past year, increasing from 825,000 to 5 million users. In December 2025, MiniPay users initiated more than $96 million in USD₮ stablecoin transfers and over 3.5 million peer-to-peer payments. Additionally, users added more than $49 million in cash to their MiniPay wallets through local partners, including Fonbank, Partna, Daimo, Cashramp, Binance, and Bybit, connecting local economies directly to Tether’s global liquidity network.
Expanding Financial Tools and Inclusion
In December, over $153 million was sent or received through MiniPay, underscoring the growing demand for stable, dollar-based payments in mobile-first regions. Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, stated, “Tether’s mission has always been to provide simple, reliable access to stable value for people who need it most.” He emphasized the importance of creating tools that make digital assets genuinely useful for everyday life.
In addition to USD₮, MiniPay supports Tether Gold, a token representing ownership of physical gold, through XAUt0. With gold prices rising nearly 50% in 2025, XAUt0 offers households an accessible and inflation-resistant savings option. Users can convert part of their balance into XAUt0 with a single tap, maintaining liquidity while preserving value.
Tether’s ongoing commitment to transparency, liquidity, and accessibility continues to expand the real-world use of stablecoins. Together with Opera, Tether is building practical financial tools that help people move, save, and store value securely, bringing the benefits of stable digital money to millions beyond the traditional banking system.
The full announcement can be found here.
Why This Matters: Impact, Industry Trends & Expert Insights
Tether’s integration of USD₮ and Tether Gold within Opera’s MiniPay wallet aims to enhance financial access in emerging markets by leveraging blockchain technology for stable, dollar-denominated transactions.
Recent industry reports indicate that stablecoin adoption in emerging markets is accelerating significantly, driven by the demand for USD-pegged stablecoins amid inflation, FX shortages, and remittance needs. This aligns with Tether and Opera’s initiative to expand financial tools in regions like Africa and Latin America, which are experiencing rapid stablecoin adoption.
According to insights from Murray Spark, Head of Commerce at MiniPay, the integration of USD₮ is transforming it into a powerful tool for local spending, enabling seamless transactions in Latin America. This supports the impact of Tether’s expansion strategy in providing accessible financial solutions in mobile-first regions.
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