Norwegian browser Opera Limited has launched Dify, a wallet that will support payments and cash-back rewards through a virtual Mastercard debit card.
The Opera browser, which has 380 million active users globally, is targeting younger consumers they tab as "power shoppers" with the Dify wallet app and its supplied account and free card.
The initial version of Dify will allow consumers to receive e-commerce cash-back rewards for purchases made on partner websites accessed through the Opera browser. Users will also have access to a special shopping mode that protects their data while shopping by disabling third-party extensions.
"Every day millions of people shop online and make their payments using Opera browsers," Krystian Kolondra, executive vice president of browsers fintech in European markets, said in a Wednesday press release.
"Opera has a track record of growing audiences and then improving their experiences to make them more engaging," Kolondra added. "We think this is one of the highest-potential areas" in having a browser and wallet operate together.
The cash-back rewards are available through the Dify wallet app, but those using the Dify card will earn additional cash, Opera stated.
In the future, the wallet services will include savings management, credit and investment opportunities and an instant cash-back option.
The in-browser wallet launch follows Opera's January 2020 acquisition of Estonian banking-as-a-service startup Pocosys and a July 2020 investment and agreement to acquire Fjord Bank.
In September 2020, Opera joined the Emerging Payments Association in the European Union.
