Microsoft reportedly testing Edge browser web3 wallet integration

Posted on March 18, 2023

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Microsoft is reportedly working to integrate a crypto-friendly and non-fungible token (NFT) Web3 wallet into its Edge web browser.

In a March 17 Twitter thread, software document maker — and occasional leaker — Albacore shared a series of screenshots of its Edge user interface (UI) that allegedly show the early stages of the company’s new Web3 wallet.

“The latest in the upcoming Microsoft Edge feature challenge in question, crypto wallets aren’t really sure how they feel about this sort of thing being baked into the default browser,” said Albacore pessimistically.

The first screenshot is of the introductory page to the Edge wallet, with Microsoft apparently noting that: “we encourage you to test our first Web3 wallet and provide honest feedback along the way.”

If that turns out to be true, it appears that the wallet will be non-custodial with Microsoft having no access to the password and recovery key, while it will also be “embedded in Edge” as opposed to an installed browser extension.

The accompanying screenshot shows the ability to exchange, send, and buy crypto assets, with crypto exchange Coinbase and infrastructure company Web3 MoonPay shown as “a platform that helps you buy and store crypto to your wallet” integrated.

In terms of NFTs, the UI simply states: “browse different markets to find your first NFT, as you build your NFT collection, we’ll organize it here.”

The potential move from Microsoft marks a recent attempt to significantly improve Edge’s offerings and capabilities, which generally lags behind competitors such as Google Chrome and Apple Safari in terms of popularity.

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On February 7, Microsoft announced the integration of an artificial intelligence (AI) powered search engine and chat via ChatGPT OpenAI as part of a new upgrade for its Bing and Edge browsers.