From The News Desk Coinbase is making it easier than ever to buy bitcoin in the US.Thanks to newly announced fiat wallets, consumers in the Eurozone and, as of yesterday, 15 US states and Puerto Rico, can store USD- and Euro-denominated balances with the company to facilitate instant bitcoin purchases without the use of a credit card.Previously, users who did not have or did not want to utilize a credit card were forced to wait, often several days, for traditional ACH bank transfers to clear, making it impossible to time the market by locking in a precise bitcoin price.Functionally, the new USD wallets will allow active bitcoin traders to load USD into their Coinbase wallets and hold that currency there until they choose to purchase bitcoin, enabling more rapid purchasing.Users can also store USD-denominated proceeds from bitcoin sales in their wallets, rather than seeing those funds automatically transferred to their legacy bank accounts.Crucially, deposits and withdrawals made via ACH are free of charge.

One major hurdle to implementing USD wallets, beyond obtaining regulatory clearance, has been the implementation of bolstered fraud detection algorithms, the requirements for which are different in the fiat and digital currency worlds.Coinbase USD wallets require that users who have verified their identity with the company and are available in Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia, as well as Puerto Rico.A similar service Euro-denominated service is available in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain.The company adds that it is working with state and federal regulators to expand this list to include all 50 US states as quickly as possible.Although not explicitly stated, the above list suggests the regions in which Coinbase has obtained Money Transmitter licenses.In a sense, this latest update places Coinbase into more direct competition with PayPal, which also allows consumers to store USD balances for instant, credit card-less online purchasing.

This is a potentially awkward fact, given that the two companies have an existing partnership through which Coinbase powers PayPal’s bitcoin payment functionality.agora bitcoin addressBut until the majority of online merchants accept bitcoin – something that is far from the case today – or PayPal allows consumers to purchase and store bitcoin – something it has shown no signs of plans to do – the overlap in the two businesses will remain minimal.uk bitcoin mining poolFor bitcoin diehards, this latest Coinbase announcement is being met with mixed reactions.check bitcoin transaction confirmationOn one hand, the company is making it easier than ever to purchase bitcoin.litecoin mining android phone

But, the idea of trusting a third party to take custodianship of your assets, be they bitcoin or USD, could not be further from the ethos around which bitcoin was created.bitcoin bwinIndeed, the popular r/Bitcoin subreddit discussion around this announcement centers largely around whether or not Coinbase is “becoming more like a bank,” and whether that's a good or bad thing.bitcoin starter kitFor those who are pleased with this shift, a common follow-up question is, when will Coinbase offer USD-deposit interest and when will it issue Xapo-like debit-cards that allow purchases using either USD or BTC deposits?bitcoin profit switching poolAnother is, will Coinbase eventually allow bitcoin traders to add “leverage” (meaning, to borrow against their cash deposits)?como ganar bitcoin rapido

There also remain questions about how Coinbase will hold these USD-assets, such as what bank are they using – Silicon Valley Bank?– and, relatedly, are these deposits FDIC or otherwise insured?bitcoin expo 2015Coinbase has raised $31.7 million* to date and is reportedly in the process of raising additional capital and commanding valuations in the range of $400 million.Combined with this impressive existing bitcoin exchange and merchant services business, the company’s recent expansion into Europe, as well as the introduction of bitcoin tipping and now USD wallets, begin to paint the picture of a full stack bitcoin financial services company.[*Disclosure: Coinbase is backed by Andreessen Horowitz.PandoDaily is backed by Andreessen Horowitz partners Marc Andreessen, Jeff Jordan, and Chris Dixon.]Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) We get these questions all the time, so we thought it might be a good idea to put them all in one place.

Start Here:Delivered to your Bitcoin address (Need help?) is your source for fast, secure Bitcoin from anywhere using your debit card or cash for payment.BUY BITCOIN | BITCOIN FIRST STEPS | ABOUT | FAQ | CONTACT | POLICIES | API | VRP | 1-888-784-2555 VANCOUVER | CALGARY | EDMONTON | WINNIPEG | TORONTO | OTTAWA | HALIFAX ® Trade-mark of Interac Inc.Wallet Website The Circle app is well designed and easy to use with a whole host of features enabling easy money transfer and syncing with your traditional bank accounts.Circle fully insures your bitcoin deposits through Lloyds of London underwriters.The circle wallet has the following features.Connect your bank account and credit cards to easily move money to and from your Circle account.When you convert money from a linked bank account to bitcoin, you don't pay any fees.Send bitcoin to contacts via email.Scan bitcoin QR codes to make instant payments.Request bitcoin from contacts via email.Generate your own QR codes to receive bitcoin from others.Get started with a new Circle account in minutes.Set a PIN code for easy access to the Circle app once you're signed in.Get timely help from a friendly support team.