Tether Brings USDT and XAUT to Opera MiniPay

Stablecoin issuer Tether and browser provider Opera have partnered on the MiniPay stablecoin wallet app to increase financial access in emerging markets. Tether announced on Monday that it has expanded USDT and XAUT support in Opera's self-custodial wallet MiniPay based on the Celo blockchain. This initiative aims to provide access to dollar-based stablecoins for savings and transfers in regions like Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that their mission is to provide stable value access to those who need it most.

MiniPay Growth with BTC Market Support

MiniPay operates in 60 countries, with 12.6 million active wallets and 350 million transactions; user count increased by 50% in the fourth quarter, mainly from emerging markets. In December, $153 million was transferred. MiniPay also supports XAUT tokenized gold for inflation protection; the asset reached $5,600 at the end of January, hitting an all-time high, with circulating supply of 712.747 XAUT and market cap of $3.4 billion (stability stands out compared to BTC detailed analysis).

Exchange stablecoin net flow change. Source: CryptoQuant

Stablecoin Outflows Pressuring BTC Price

In contrast, stablecoin market cap and exchange flows decreased with the general crypto downturn; according to CryptoQuant, market cap has declined since December, exchange net inflows were wiped out, and there was a $4 billion outflow. The total crypto market value fell 38% from its October peak. This increases liquidity pressure in the BTC futures market, while initiatives like MiniPay can support recovery focused on BTC detailed analysis in emerging markets. Stablecoins act as a buffer against BTC volatility, strengthening long-term access.