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Microsoft Edge is jumping on the NFT Bandwagon with a built-in wallet
Microsoft’s Edge browser will soon include a built-in wallet for crypto and NFTs. A pseudonymous insider named “Albacore” leaked screenshots showing this new functionality last week on Twitter. Since then, the tech giant hasn’t made an official comment, but it looks like the $2T company will soon enter Web3 in a big way. Why is Microsoft adding a crypto and NFT wallet to Microsoft Edge?
Image credit: Techarp.com
Why is Microsoft adding a crypto and NFT wallet to Microsoft Edge?
By building a crypto wallet into the Edge browser, Microsoft will simplify the Web3 experience for its customers. Customers’ crypto funds will be held in the existing stored credit card interface. As a result, users will not need to rely on third-party applications such as MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet. By taking out this extra step, this move should improve the onboarding process for non-crypto natives to start using cryptocurrencies.
The screenshots also include a warning that the wallet is not custodial. This feature means that users have full control over their cryptograph. Microsoft will not have access to private keys or the ability to freeze funds. This is an important detail as the ‘freedom to act’ is a fundamental part of the crypto ethos and anything other than that would feel half-baked.
What features will the Microsoft Edge crypto and NFT wallet offer?
The screenshots leaked on Twitter showed an impressive user interface for Edge crypto users. The landing page provides an overview of crypto holdings with an aesthetically pleasing graph of the wallet’s portfolio balance over time. Another tab opens a page for transactions, which allows the user to send different cryptocurrencies as well as see a history of completed transactions. There is also a page for Web3-centric headlines with links to popular crypto blogs and breaking news.
Most interestingly, there is a page dedicated to NFTs. It looks like an aggregator of several NFT marketplaces, similar to popular trading sites Gem, Genie or Blur. In bold, the user is greeted with a message that reads: “Browse through various marketplaces to find your first NFT. As you build your collection of NFTs, we’ll organize them here.” It looks like Microsoft will allow buyers to buy NFTs from multiple sources, then give them a smooth, intuitive gallery view to organize them.
Image credit: Albacore
However, there was one mysterious tab that we didn’t get a screenshot of – connections. Could this tab indicate some kind of social network that lives on top of the Microsoft Edge crypto interface? Or perhaps the opportunity to follow various interesting NFT collections? It can even be something as simple as a list of saved contacts, wallet addresses or frequent transaction counterparties. Either way, we should find out soon.
Why is the Microsoft Edge crypto and NFT wallet important?
By incorporating crypto and NFTs into one of their flagship products, Microsoft is giving 232 million Microsoft Edge users an easy way to launch a wallet and start trading with Web3. This implementation will be just another important step to help promote mainstream adoption of both crypto and NFTs.
