Within the partnership, Android Opera users get the ability to purchase Bitcoin and Ethereum with a debit card, while iOS users can check the function in Apple Pay.
Late January this year, Opera completed its efforts to provide Web 3-ready browsers with built-in Crypto Wallet on Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and iOS. Now Opera users receive new options to buy cryptos. They can now do it using a debit card or Apple Pay. The initiative follows Opera’s partnership with crypto startup Wyre. Notably, the purchasing feature is available for the browser’s U.S. users at this point, but Opera will expand the geography.
Opera Web 3.0 browser with built-in Ethereum Crypto Wallet was launched in December 2018. It quickly received positive feedback. Later, Opera introduced easy crypto-purchases in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Now it’s time to expand them to the United States.
To allow the U.S. users to take advantage of the option to buy cryptos, Opera partners e-payments company, Wyre. Within the partnership, Android users get the ability to purchase Bitcoin and Ethereum with a debit card, while iOS users can check the function in Apple Pay.
Charles Hamel, Head of Crypto at Opera, commented:
“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.”
He continued:
“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.”
Both iOS and Android Opera users can buy up to $250 in cryptos daily. There is also a 30-cent fee and a 2.9% transaction commission.
Wyre’s Jack Jia said:
“Opera is the most forward-thinking browser platform – known for its privacy and security. Combining Web3 with Wyre fiat onramps will open up powerful financial use cases for its 360 million users worldwide. Our team is stoked to be building alongside Opera.”
Opera Revels in Admiration While Google Chrome Gets in Hot Water
As Opera users receive new options, the Opera browser receives positive feedback and gains traction. But it is not the case of another browser, Google Chrome.
Recently, Google Chrome started receiving complaints regarding its security policy. On March 16, the developer of Brave browser Brave Software filed an official GDPR complaint against Google for infringing the GDPR Article 5(1)b. The article stands for the “purpose limitation” principle and reads:
“Personal data shall be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes…”.
According to Brave’s chief policy and industry relations officer Dr. Johnny Ryan, Google collects personal data of all users of its products. But instead of their secure storage, Google ‘reuses our personal data between its businesses and products in bewildering ways that infringe the purpose limitation principle.’
Dr. Johny Ryan stated:
“Enforcement of Brave’s GDPR ‘purpose limitation’ complaint against Google would be tantamount to a functional separation, giving everyone the power to decide what parts of Google they chose to reward with their data.”
In addition to a formal complaint, Brave has also written to the European Commission, French Autorité de la concurrence, German Bundeskartellamt, and UK Competition & Markets Authority. The company has also noted it has better data privacy than any other browser, not only Chrome. Besides, it noted it does not need regulators to keep users’ data in secret.
If Brave’s actions turn out to be in vain, the company itself will take Google to court.
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