Opera Secures 160 Million CELO Tokens in Proposed Deal to Expand MiniPay, Targeting 14M Users and 420M Transactions Across 66 Countries

Token Allocation Proposal Transitions Opera Into Long-Term Celo Stakeholder With Governance Cap and Three-Year Framework

TL;DR

• Opera proposed to receive 160 million CELO tokens (~$12 million) in a governance-approved deal shifting it into a long-term ecosystem stakeholder
• MiniPay has reached 14 million users, processed 420 million transactions, and operates in 66+ countries
• Governance safeguards cap Opera’s voting power at 10%, while Celo reports 700,000 daily and 4.2 million weekly active users

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Opera and Celo Core Co. disclosed on March 19, 2026 a proposal to allocate 160 million CELO tokens to Opera as part of a revised commercial framework replacing prior quarterly funding arrangements. The allocation, valued at approximately $12 million at the time of disclosure, is structured as a one-time grant tied to distribution services and is pending approval through Celo’s decentralized governance process. The proposal outlines that tokens would be transferred from Celo’s unreleased treasury into an Opera-controlled wallet under a three-year partnership structure tied to ecosystem expansion.

Terms of the proposal specify that Opera would hold the tokens long term, aligning its incentives with the performance of the Celo network rather than receiving recurring payments. Governance provisions included in the framework place a cap of 10% on Opera’s voting power of total staked CELO, with exceptions limited to emergency scenarios. The arrangement replaces a prior model requiring periodic governance approvals and introduces a single allocation designed to streamline operational execution between the two parties.

Opera’s integration with Celo centers on MiniPay, a self-custodial stablecoin wallet embedded within its browser ecosystem. The wallet has recorded more than 14 million account registrations across over 66 countries and processed more than 420 million transactions since its launch. Data shared by Celo shows over 700,000 daily active users and more than 4.2 million weekly active users interacting with USDT on the network, while more than 50 million Opera users have accumulated rewards redeemable in stablecoins within MiniPay.

Statements released alongside the proposal describe the shift as a transition from a distribution partnership to deeper ecosystem participation, with one release stating the agreement is intended to “grow Opera from distribution partner into key network stakeholder.” Additional language in the proposal notes that the structure aims to “better align commercial terms” and reflects the “scale and maturity” of the collaboration, while also stating Opera has a “genuine belief in and commitment to the long-term value of the Celo ecosystem.”

Opera’s broader distribution footprint includes access to hundreds of millions of users globally, with a strong presence among mobile-first users in emerging markets. The partnership outlines expansion efforts across regions including Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where mobile-based financial services and stablecoin usage have seen increasing adoption. Product development tied to the collaboration includes MiniPay’s Mini Apps ecosystem supporting use cases such as bill payments, gold purchases, and prediction markets within a mobile-first interface.

Technical features supporting the integration include fee abstraction allowing users to pay transaction fees in stablecoins rather than native tokens and phone number–linked wallet functionality designed to simplify onboarding. Additional roadmap items referenced in the proposal include crypto-linked payment cards, merchant integrations, and fiat onramps designed to expand transaction capabilities within the ecosystem.

Historical context in the announcement traces the partnership between Opera and Celo back to June 2021, with MiniPay launching in September 2023 as a key milestone in user acquisition and transaction growth. A prior extension of the collaboration in December 2025 set a target of enabling financial access for one billion users by 2030, forming the basis for the current proposal submitted for governance consideration.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.