Opera Web Browser Announces TRON Support for Built-in Crypto Wallet

Opera, the first web browser with Web 3 capabilities, announced this week that it was adding support for TRON and TRC-standard tokens to its built-in crypto wallet.

The browser already offers support for Ethereum and ERC-20 compatible tokens to its more than 320 million global users, and its built-in wallet makes it distinct from other crypto-oriented platforms because of the automatic integration for things like payments, videogames, and dApps.

The addition of TRON provides Opera users with access to the blockchain’s growing list of decentralized video games and dApps, something that is crucial for the proliferation of Web 3 and for the usability of decentralized platforms.

Although Ethereum was one the unquestioned leader in dApp infrastructure, an April 2019 report by Daap.com found that TRON now has the fastest growing user base, and Ethereum’s user base is contracting.

Together, they represent a significant share of the gaming, dApp, and other decentralized infrastructure that is the backbone of the Web 3 development. Krystian Kolondra, EVP at Opera, explains, “TRON is a popular, quickly developing blockchain with swiftly growing dApp ecosystem. We are happy to open our browser to it.”

Indeed, Opera is hoping that integrating multiple blockchains will hasten the adoption of Web 3 capabilities.

Opera’s built-in crypto wallet is a part of its Android-based browser and desktop application, although the company is launching an iOS version, Opera Touch, soon. The browser’s desktop application allows users to make payments and to participate in other blockchain-based activities using the digital tokens stored in the built-in wallet.

Deploying users’ phones as an authentication device, a de-facto two-factor authentication process that helps secure crypto payments. This format is both indelibly safe and highly usable, making it one of the most practical expressions of the crypto economy.

Opera’s blockchain initiatives aren’t just limited to TRON and Ethereum. The browser plans to integrate additional blockchains later this year, and it partnered with Ledger Capital, a blockchain advisory and financial services firm, to facilitate the development of other blockchain applications.

If the goal is a higher level of adoption, TRON is an excellent place to start. The TRX token is the 11th most prominent digital currency, according to CoinMarketCap. With a market cap approaching $2 billion, and more than 400 dApps already on its platform, it offers the stability and popularity that Opera demands.

Now that Opera’s hundreds of millions of users can access TRON’s gaming and dApp ecosystem, this partnership could provide the momentum that both platforms need to reach critical mass.

Opera’s expanding crypto wallet comes at a time when other companies are striving to make the crypto ecosystem more accessible to more people. For instance. HTC recently released its blockchain-powered smartphone, Exodus 1.

Crypto mania has come to a close, which has ushered in the new era of usability and practicality, something that is imminently on display with Opera’s latest announcement. The jury is still out on how users will respond and its long-term impact on Web 3 capabilities, but it’s a meaningful development that’s worth keeping track of.