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Opera Crypto Browser, a Web3-focused browser built to work with a variety of decentralized apps (dApps), now supports third-party wallets such as MetaMask.
The upgrade, which the Oslo-based company describes as “one of the most significant updates since its genesis,” comes in the run-up to Ethereum’s transition from the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus algorithm to a less energy-intensive proof-of-stake (PoS) model, which is expected to occur later this week.
“The upcoming merge is the most important technological update in the history of crypto that will move Ethereum from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, thus making it more scalable, secure, sustainable, and ready to be used by the mainstream user,” Susie Batt, Crypto Ecosystem Lead at Opera, said in an announcement shared with Decrypt.
According to Batt, Opera Crypto Browser “is the only browser truly ready for this shift and the only one offering web users all the tools they need to give Web3 a try in a safe environment.”
The Opera Crypto Browser is a standalone browser launched in January this year and works alongside the company’s traditional Web2 browser. Aside from the built-in support for dApps and a non-custodial crypto wallet, it also includes Crypto Corner—a dedicated point of access to the latest industry news, prices, important metrics like gas fees and market sentiment, educational content, and a calendar for upcoming events.
The mobile version of the Opera Crypto Browser currently supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, Celo, FIO, Near, and Nervos blockchains and their respective tokens. Meanwhile, users of the desktop version can enjoy native integrations of Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Polygon.
“Overall, Opera aims to welcome as many crypto users as possible, which means integrating with a wide variety of blockchains and tokens—and this list will continue to grow over the next few weeks,” Danny Yao, Senior Product Manager at Opera told Decrypt.
The integration of third-party wallets through a feature called Wallet Selector means that in addition to the browser’s native non-custodial wallet, users can also pick any wallet extension available in the Google Chrome or Opera store to interact with a particular dApp or website.
The new Wallet Selector serves as an aggregator of various wallet extensions, automating the connection process by remembering users’ preferences for different websites.
“The browser’s built-in selector allows users to easily switch between different wallets via a simple UI—but it doesn’t have access to private keys or passwords used in third-party extensions. This means that Opera’s Crypto Browser doesn’t introduce any additional security risks by itself,” Yao told Decrypt.
The latest version of the Opera Crypto Browser also introduces support for human-readable wallet and domain handles provided by services like Yat, the creator of universal emoji usernames, FIO, as well as Ethereum Name Service (ENS).
Additionally, the project partnered with DappRadar, a popular platform that enables users to track, analyze, and discover dApps. This collaboration gives the Opera Crypto Browser user access to all important metrics for more than 11,000 dApps over 48 protocols and in different categories, including NFTs, games, and DeFi.
“The integration of DappRadar’s rich reliable data into Opera’s Crypto Browser provides a major improvement for Web3 users, offering them a seamless solution that is understandable and convenient for both mobile and desktop users alike,” commented Yao.
The popular Binance Smart Chain (BSC) yield-farming app PancakeSwap has been also integrated with the Crypto Browser and is available in its native crypto wallet. This integration allows users to trade tokens directly from within the wallet without the need to connect to an external dApp first.
On the security front, the latest upgrade also introduces a phishing detection feature that aims to protect users from hacks and phishing. This is achieved by the means of blocking blacklisted phishing sites as well as by adding a clipboard protection feature, which, as the company says, will ensure that copied wallet addresses or account numbers are the same ones that are being pasted.
In the coming weeks, the Opera Crypto Browser will also introduce a malicious address checker to make sure users are interacting with trusted smart contracts and are not being scammed.
“This additional security feature helps the Crypto Browser users to check, for example, whether a smart contract is present on a special blacklist or has any malicious functions coded, i.e. has already been reported as scam, rug pull, fake or malicious smart contract, and so on in the past,” explained Yao.
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