Opera Adds Crypto Wallet To Its Desktop Browser, Launches Anti-Chrome Campaign in Europe

Opera has updated its eponymous web browser for the desktop with a crypto-makeover and a number of additional features. From a report: The Norway-headquartered browser maker has also launched a marketing campaign to cash in on the EU regulatory order that requires Google to give Android users in Europe more options to choose their preferred browser. Dubbed 'Reborn 3,' the latest version of Opera for Windows, macOS, and Linux includes a native cryptocurrency wallet, which follows Opera's Android app getting this feature in December. The wallet keys and transactions are synced between the desktop and mobile browsers with the latter also serving as a way for the user to authenticate their identity, the company said. [...] Additionally, Opera is speeding up the free VPN feature, after adding this feature to its Android app last month.

Isn't Opera Chinese?

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought Opera was Chinese... which raises a lot of doubts for security. Did a European country buy them out?

Re:Isn't Opera Chinese?

[bhcompy]

They are. The board is controlled by the Chinese and the Chinese investment firms that owned it prior to the IPO maintained something like 60% of the company through the IPO

Chinese

[Anonymous Coward]

Opera is now run by the Chinese.

Re:

[DontBeAMoran]

Well my friend, it seems your wish has been answered!

the angel of death and the crypto hail mary

[Rob Cebollero]

"always two there are"

extremely stretched mixed metaphors aside; although the great die-off of browser species is probably a net good in the long term it's still depressing to see yet another once great and trusted brand morph into a cosplay of its former self. I still have the last presto-powered version of Opera installed for (admittedly misplaced) sentimental reasons - it was my daily driver for years.

Why would anyone use this new chrome-clone when Brave has already beat it to the crypto-MLM punch?

Advertising is not going away; crypto (when it doesn't collapse in on itself due to inevitable development of leverage-cornering cartels) will likely make ads mandatory at best, and impossible to sustain as a revenue model at worst.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

"Includes a native cryptocurrency wallet"

[DontBeAMoran]

There's hundreds of cryptocurrencies... could you at least specify which one?

Or is Opera launching OperaCoins?

Re:

[DontBeAMoran]

That's still quite a few dozens cryptocurrencies.

Lesson

[MightyMartian]

The lesson here is that Chrome won the browser wars. Firefox is kept alive by Google simply so Google can point to it and say "See, there's another browser!" Sure, there's Safari for Apple products, but while Chrome has forked, both browsers have the same DNA. WebKit is king in one guise or another. If Microsoft, with all its market power, couldn't convince people to move to Edge, I fail to see what Opera will accomplish other than to finish writing the epitaph on its grave stone.

Re:

[0ld_d0g]

Well, there are a lot of lessons. Sustained browser development costs tens of millions. And only a few companies can pay for market share like Google and Microsoft did/do. If only two companies make cars, you can't expect someone to start a brand new car company if you're not already swimming in cash (Musk). All governments are arbitrary entities we made up to serve our needs. If we want more competition, we'll have to lower the barrier in some fashion. The cliche of "make a better product" might have worke

Irrelevant noises

[ceeam]

> Opera
Since they abandoned their engine (and went public, further losing their independence), who even cares? They are K-Meleon tier or something now.

Zhou Yahui

[voicofsf]

The Chinese businessman, Yahui Zhou, behind the investment in Opera is an interesting man. He also bought 60% of Grindr and partnered with Finnish Rovio (Angry Birds). He seems to be working outside the usual social norms of China. VPN is a problematic area in mainland China and gets a lot of attention from the government. I'm not sure just what sort of impact he's had on Opera. I'm not willing to say, knee jerk, that's it's been a negative investment for the browser. It does seem, however, an unlikely inve

Business model

[manu0601]

The question of Opera's business model puzzles me. How do they earn money?