BitPay’s Visa-Branded Prepaid Card for Bitcoin Reaches Global Scale
BitPay, a 2017 Pay Award winner, said this week that it has released its BitPay Visa Prepaid Debit Card in 131 countries. The card “makes it possible for users to convert bitcoin into a spendable dollar, euro or pound balance” on the card in a matter of minutes, the company said.
BitPay said the cards stands as the first prepaid Visa-branded debit card for bitcoin users in such major countries as the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany and Japan. The card taps into a bitcoin market that BitPay estimates is worth some $36 billion. Consumers can apply for the card at bitpay.com.
“The card solves a major problem for early blockchain payments adopters: how to convert bitcoin received, earned, or saved into a balance spendable with everyday Visa-accepting merchants and Visa-compatible ATMs,” Bitpay said.
The company and FirstView Financial, which serves as program manager and processor for the U.S. program, are 2017 Pay Award winners in the Judge’s Choice category for BitPay Visa. Final voting ends May 31 for the Pay Awards Best in Category. BitPay is working with WaveCrest for the international rollout.
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