23 Facts About Opera Software

Opera Software is a Norwegian multinational technology company that specializes in web browser development, fintech, as well as services such as Opera Software News and YoYo Games.

Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with additional offices in Europe, China, and Africa.

In 2016, Opera Software was acquired by an investment group led by a Chinese consortium.

On July 27, 2018, Opera Software went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, raising $115 million in its initial public offering.

Opera Software was founded as an independent company in Norway in 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy.

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Opera Software began development of its first browser for mobile device platforms in 1998.

Up to this point, the Opera Software browser was trialware and had to be purchased after the trial period ended, however, this ended with version 5.

Instead, Opera Software became ad-sponsored, displaying advertisements to users without a license, which was commonly criticized as a barrier to gaining market share.

In February 2004, Opera Software announced it was preparing for an initial public offering on the Oslo Stock Exchange in March.

In 2004, Opera Software settled a lawsuit with an "international corporation" paying to Opera.

In 2007, Opera Software filed a complaint against Microsoft in the European Commission, alleging that bundling Internet Explorer with Microsoft Windows is harmful to both the consumer and to other web browser companies.

In 2013 Opera Software decided to not use their in-house rendering engine for the Desktop Browser anymore.

In March 2015, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Opera Software won Global Mobile Award of Best Mobile Product, Initiative or Service in Emerging Markets for Opera Software Web Pass and Sponsored Web Pass.

On 18 July 2016, Opera Software ASA announced it had sold its browser, privacy and performance apps, and the Opera brand to Golden Brick Capital Private Equity Fund I Limited Partnership for an amount of US$600 million.

In January 2018, Opera Software launched Opera Software News, an AI-driven news app dedicated to African users.

In January 2020, Opera acquired PocoSys, an Estonian startup that developed banking-as-a-service software.

In June 2020, Opera Software partnered with APO Group to provide accurate information about COVID-19 in Africa.

In February 2021, Opera Software launched the fintech Dify, an in-browser payment app that includes cashback service and a digital wallet.

Since then, Opera Software has developed its own VPN available within its desktop and Android browser.

Opera Software was involved in a years-long feud with Microsoft dating back to 2001.

In 2013, Opera Software switched from its rendering engine, Presto, to Chrome's Webkit, a decision described as a "sad day for the web.

From 2018 to 2020, Opera Software was involved in the incubation of Kenyan loan companies OKash and Opesa.

In January 2020, the then Opera Software-owned businesses were accused of offering predatory terms with interest rates of up to 876 percent per annum and employing unethical debt recovery practices such as debt shaming and abusing customer privacy.