Celo Core Co. has proposed transferring 160 million CELO to Opera, aiming to convert a high-performing partnership into a long-term, incentive-aligned network stake. The proposal, published Thursday on the Celo Forum, outlines a one-time allocation from the protocol’s unreleased treasury to an Opera-controlled Safe, replacing recurring grant-based funding with a three-year strategic arrangement running through Q3 2029.
Minipay Success Spurs the Largest Celo Governance Proposal
At a 30-day average price near $0.0771, the allocation carries an estimated value of roughly $12.3 million, though its significance lies less in dollar terms and more in long-term alignment. Under the plan, Opera would transition from a distribution partner into a full network stakeholder, committing to hold CELO as a reserve asset while continuing to build out its Minipay ecosystem and broader onchain infrastructure.
Governance concerns are addressed with a cap limiting Opera’s voting power to 10% of total staked CELO, except in protocol emergencies, a design intended to prevent outsized influence while still granting meaningful participation.
The move follows years of collaboration between the two entities, beginning with stablecoin integrations in 2021 and accelerating with the 2023 launch of Minipay, a self-custodial wallet focused on mobile-first payments and real-world use cases. Minipay now accounts for a substantial share of Celo’s activity, with more than 13 million activated wallets, hundreds of millions of transactions, and operations spanning over 60 countries, according to proposal figures.
Celo Core Co. argues that the existing system of quarterly funding proposals has become inefficient, creating governance fatigue and limiting long-term planning. The proposed shift replaces repeated funding requests with a single allocation tied to performance expectations and ecosystem growth metrics. Those metrics include user expansion, Mini App adoption, transaction volume, stablecoin flows, and geographic growth across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa—regions where Celo has prioritized real-world financial use cases.
The allocation itself is sizable in supply terms, representing roughly 16% of Celo’s maximum supply and more than a quarter of circulating tokens, positioning Opera as one of the network’s largest stakeholders if approved.
Opera Expands Minipay Functionality
Opera, for its part, has signaled commitment to expanding Minipay’s functionality, including onramps, bridging, Mini Apps, and potential integrations such as crypto-linked payment cards, while leveraging its broader browser user base for distribution. The proposal also reflects a broader shift in blockchain ecosystems, where early-stage grant funding is giving way to deeper, equity-like partnerships designed to align incentives between protocols and major distribution channels.
For Celo, the bet is straightforward: convert its most effective growth engine into a long-term stakeholder and reduce governance overhead in the process. The price of CELO jumped more than 2.5% after the announcement. The proposal remains in the discussion phase and would require community approval through Celo’s governance process before any transfer is executed.