- The Opera browser is now making it easy for users in the US to buy cryptocurrency like bitcoin with Apple Pay.
- If you use the Android version of the browser, you can simply use a debit card.
- To get a sense of how easy and convenient this new solution is, Opera promises that using Apple Pay will make it possible for people to top up a crypto account in less than 30 seconds.
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After introducing a cryptocurrency wallet across all of its mobile and desktop browser iterations, the Norweigian company behind the Opera browser just made it easy for users in the US to purchase cryptocurrencies with either a debit card or Apple’s digital payment solution Apple Pay.
This is an expansion of Opera’s crypto purchase solution to the US and in Scandinavia, and in an announcement this week Opera says that easy top-ups are available in Opera’s flagship Android browser, as well as its iOS browser Opera Touch and in the crypto wallet available in the company’s desktop browser version.
“This announcement is a further step in Opera’s strategy to eliminate the hurdles associated with the use of cryptocurrencies on the web,” the company announced. And it follows the introduction in December 2018 of the Norwegian company’s first blockchain-enabled browser, Opera for Android, with a built-in crypto wallet and Dapp explorer. “Opera then proceeded to add a built-in crypto wallet to its desktop browser as well as to its iOS browser, Opera Touch. It later introduced easy crypto-purchases in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and is now expanding them to the United States.”
To launch this in the US, Opera has teamed up with the cryptocurrency-brokerage firm Wyre to enable easy and secure purchases directly from the browser. On Android, users in the US can use a debit card to buy bitcoin and ether, while iOS users can use Apple Pay. “Allowing our users to easily load cryptocurrency into their browser’s digital wallet is very powerful, as it connects the web to a global internet-native payment network,” said Opera’s head of crypto Charles Hamel by way of explaining how this integration supports Opera’s long-term vision of making blockchain technology relevant beyond speculation.
Adds Hamel about the integration, which via Apple Pay allows users to top up an account in less than 30 seconds: “In the past, obtaining cryptocurrencies was a cumbersome process that took hours or even days. When you compare it with this seamless solution, which takes less than 30 seconds, it really is a gamechanger.”
Opera is also planning to introduce this solution in other countries “very soon.” In a statement, Wyre’s founding employee Jack Jia praised the partnership with the browser as a way to open up powerful financial use cases for 360 million users worldwide.
