Bitcoin wallet service Coinbase will launch the US’ first Bitcoin exchange later today, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The news comes just days after the Winklevoss twins announced their plans to open a Bitcoin exchange this year.
The exchange will allow individuals and companies to do business in about half the states in the US where Coinbase has regulatory approval. Coinbase will take a 0.25 percent cut of most transactions and waive fees for the first two months.
Coinbase, which has 2.1 million consumer wallets and 38,000 merchants processing Bitcoin payments through its platform, received $75 million in funding, in a Series C financing round from investors including BBVA Ventures of Spain last week.
Although Coinbase’s exchange will initially do business only in the US, CEO Brian Armstrong said that he plans to expand the exchange to serve markets overseas in the future.
Bitcoin is currently valued at about $280, up from $230 only three days ago. The cryptocurrency’s value is about $3.2 billion in total, with over 80,000 merchants accepting payments in Bitcoin according to currency tracker Coindesk.
➤ First U.S. Bitcoin Exchange Set to Open [The Wall Street Journal]
from The Next Web http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNextWeb/~3/ASuaP6y60nU/
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment