With Edge to Web3: Microsoft is testing a crypto wallet

Microsoft is said to want to integrate a crypto wallet into a test version of Edge that sends, receives, exchanges cryptocurrency and includes links to crypto exchanges for the purchase of a token. This is reported by the tech website BleepingComputer, which claims to have tested a trial version. Also, a Twitter user known for documenting unofficial software changes from Microsoft posted screenshots of the UI. However, their authenticity has not been confirmed. When asked by heise online, Microsoft kept a low profile: “Unfortunately, we cannot provide any information on this subject.”

The screenshots of the putative trial version show the login steps: users set a password and generate a recovery phrase. Afterward, she greets the Edge extension with a welcome page that promises “simplified experiences that make Web3 easier to use.” The start screen then shows the public key, the account balance of the crypto wallet and the rates of various crypto currencies. There is also a column on the start page in which DApps, i.e. applications based on the Ethereum network, are integrated. Another screenshot shows a view that can be used to browse NFTs.

Edge crypto wallet features

The crypto wallet is said to be “non-custodial”: the private key is stored locally. The public key should be an Ethereum address, reports BleepingComputer. Users should be able to switch between different Ethereum addresses.

The crypto wallet links to the crypto exchanges Coinbase and MoonPay for the purchase of cryptocurrency. A swap function should enable the exchange between different tokens, for example Dai Stablecoin, Tether Coin or Uniswap. Microsoft is said to be working with ConsenSys, a company that develops Ethereum-based applications.

Within Microsoft, testing a crypto wallet is causing controversy, reports The Verge. After all, the extension would be tested during a wave of layoffs at Microsoft, in which other, possibly more important projects and their employees would be eliminated. In addition, Edge is not short of extensions: Microsoft recently upgraded the browser with an AI chatbot. As Microsoft keeps testing and then dropping application extensions, it remains to be seen whether a crypto wallet for Edge is here to stay – or is nothing more than an echo of a bygone era boom.

(so)