Cointelegraph By Arnold Kirimi
Crypto-friendly browser Opera integrated BNB Chain, a decentralized blockchain ecosystem formerly known as Binance Smart Chain, to enable BNB Chain-based decentralized apps (DApps) on Android, iOS and desktop versions of its Crypto Browser.
The integration will enable Opera’s 350 million users to purchase BNB (Build N Build) token with fiat and send and receive it via the built-in Opera crypto wallet, as well as access DApps on the BNB Chain ecosystem. The list includes decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like PancakeSwap, 1inch and BiSwap, as well as decentralized finance (DeFi) products like DRIP Venus, Tranchess, Treehouse, ApeSwap and AutoShark Finance.
The Opera Crypto Browser’s BNB Chain integration follows the beta release of a Web3 browser for iOS devices, iPhone and iPad, in April. Opera began the Crypto Browser project earlier this year to focus on Web3 and facilitate navigation across DApps, games and metaverse platforms. The browser company has since expanded support for nine major blockchain ecosystems: Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, StarkEx, Ronin, Celo, Nervos Network and now BNB Chain.
According to BNB Chain’s Patrick Degenhardt, the primary aim of the Binance Chain community is to create the infrastructure for the “world’s parallel virtual ecosystem” and entice the next billion individuals into cryptocurrency. He added that “boosting the adoption of digital assets and blockchain technology requires major efforts on Web2 and Web3 integration.”
Related: Opera Crypto Browser is now available on iPhone and iPad
While commenting on the latest development, 5ire’s founder and CEO Pratik Gauri told Cointelegraph that the browser company had “the foresight back in 2018 to begin building their product in compliance with Web 3.0 standards.”
He believes that this is a game-changer because if Opera’s security systems prove to be reliable over time, many investors and day traders will want to use its browser instead of others, adding that:
“And that is the very intent of Web 3.0. To have personal data belong to the individual, not to have big data corporations make billions off of your day and your created content and you get nothing. Second, if the system is secure, with a great UX, they will rule the markets when it comes to the public’s transformation to Web 3.0.”
Opera has been a part of the cryptocurrency space for a long time, and it became the first major browser to accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments in 2019. According to Opera’s Jorgen Arnesen, The Crypto Browser is designed to appeal to both seasoned and new crypto users and targets the growing interest in Web3.