Proposal Allocates 160M CELO Tokens to Opera
On March 19, 2026, Opera and Celo Core Co. proposed a strategic partnership that would allocate 160 million CELO tokens to the web browser company, pending Celo community governance approval. The grant would replace Opera's current cash-based compensation with a three-year token award, deeply aligning its interests with the network. This allocation represents a significant stake, equaling 16% of Celo's 1 billion maximum supply and approximately 27% of its current 600 million circulating supply.
The proposed transaction would involve a one-time transfer from Celo's unreleased treasury to an Opera-controlled Safe. To prevent outsized influence on network governance, the voting power of these tokens will be capped at 10% of the total staked CELO. The structure is designed to transition Opera from a distribution partner into a core, long-term stakeholder invested in the ecosystem's success.
MiniPay's 14M Users Fuel Celo's On-Chain Activity
The strategic shift is driven by the performance of Opera’s MiniPay, a self-custodial wallet that has become the most-used application on the Celo network. Since its launch in 2023, MiniPay has attracted over 14 million registrations and processed 420 million transactions across 66 countries by offering low-cost payments and enabling stablecoin transfers via phone numbers.
This partnership aims to convert Opera's massive user base into active Celo participants. A key feature of the deal will allow over 50 million Opera users who have earned rewards to redeem them as USDT directly within MiniPay. This creates a powerful and seamless onboarding funnel from the browser directly into Celo's DeFi ecosystem.
Since MiniPay is already Celo's most-used app, we have a clear, long-term incentive to see the entire ecosystem thrive.
— Jorgen Arnesen, EVP at Opera.
Edgen Crypto·Mar 19 2026, 13:37
