Opera Launches New ‘Crypto Browser’

Opera is looking at the market share opportunity presented by crypto users as it announces one of its most significant updates since its genesis – shipping its innovative "Wallet Selector," an industry-first multi-wallet management tool in its latest browser download pack.

This feature allows users to seamlessly pick which one of their wallets they want to interact with a particular dApp or website. They can now choose between their wallets directly in the browser address bar, without needing to go into settings or having to deal with competing extensions.

Beyond Opera Crypto Browser’s native wallet, the wallets supported in the Wallet Selector include Metamask and hundreds more, as long as they are available as Opera or Chrome extensions (Chrome extensions work in Opera too).

What Are Browser Wallet Extensions?

Browser wallet extensions are essential tools for exploring Web3. They allow users to explore and interact with various decentralized apps (dApps) and services. However, the functionality of wallet extensions differs widely. For example, many only support specific networks, and some offer different features such as in-app swaps and staking.

This creates issues for crypto users, as to explore multiple networks, they will often need several different browser wallets to accomplish their goals – which creates an unnecessary barrier to adoption and impairs the user experience.

Opera aims to address this with the inclusion of a wallet selector feature in its browser address bar which will automate the somewhat precarious process of switching between crypto wallets while swapping tokens or transacting with dApps. Describing it as a “gamechanger” for the broader Web3 ecosystem, Opera’s engineering director Tomasz Stawarz says the impetus for the wallet selector came its existing users. "We created the Wallet Selector based on the feedback we got from our users,” he says. “It saves them a lot of pain as they no longer have to constantly go into settings or to navigate between competing wallet extensions."

Opera’s Wallet Selector aggregates compatible wallet extensions and automates the connection process. The selector remembers users’ preferences for different websites, allowing them to connect to dApps effortlessly.

More Security And Other Features

In addition to providing easy access to multiple wallets, the Opera Crypto Browser also provides security enhancements that protect its users from hacks and phishing. The phishing detection feature blocks browser users from entering blacklisted phishing sites. The browser’s secure clipboard protects users from clipboard hacks, making sure the wallet address or account number a user has copied is the same one that ends up being pasted.

To make the Web3 experience more accessible the Opera Crypto Browser now resolves human-readable wallet handles for YAT, FIO Crypto Handles e.g Jane@opera and ENS domains like iamtesting.eth. These features allow users to make cryptocurrency transactions using simple-to-memorize domain and wallet addresses consisting of words or even strings of emojis as well as Handshake domain resolution.

The Opera Crypto Browser has also partnered with DappRadar to provide its users with access to more than 11,000 dApps. The platform also gives them unique insight into valuable metrics. All of the dApps are accessible as easily as any website on web2, from the browser address bar. The users identify themselves using one of their wallets, picked via the Wallet Selector.

The upgrade also overhauls the Crypto Corner feature, including a new Hot Tweets section including the latest trending tweets around crypto. Additionally, the popular BNB Chain Decentralized Finance (DeFi) app, PancakeSwap, has been integrated with the Crypto Browser and is available in the browser’s native crypto wallet. This allows users to trade tokens directly from within the wallet without the hassle of connecting to an external dApp first. Opera is also updating the mobile version of its Crypto Browser with a new navigation and added private mode.