Singaporean fintech adds Bitcoin payments for merchants with BitPay partnership

Nium, a cross-border payments firm based in Singapore, has announced the launch of a new API-based solution that will allow businesses to start accepting cryptocurrency payments.

As per the announcement, the newly launched product is called Crypto Accept. It allows online sellers to accept Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) before expanding to other digital assets in 2023. Payments are sent to internet merchants' accounts in U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies the next business day, allowing vendors to expand their market and enhance their online payment experiences while avoiding price volatility.

Nium partnered with crypto payments processor BitPay to launch the Crypto Accept feature. Consumers will choose their preferred cryptocurrency wallet and scan a QR code to complete the transaction. The service will verify that digital currency is available and settle the transaction in the merchant's chosen currency.

According to Joaquin Ayuso de Paul, the senior vice president and head of Nium Crypto, “Consumers hold more than $3 trillion in cryptocurrency and are looking for more places to spend this money online.”

Nium was founded in 2014 as Instarem and is located in Singapore. The payments company claims a global network of 130 million consumers. The company is licensed as a Money Services Business (MSB) in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Canada, Europe and the United States.

Related: Stripe announces fiat payment support for cryptocurrencies and NFTs

Nium's latest move follows in the footsteps of other popular payments providers to accept cryptocurrency payments. As reported by Cointelegraph, PayMaya, a Philippines-based major fintech firm, recently launched a new cryptocurrency feature on its app that allows users to trade, purchase, and spend digital assets using their accounts.

PayPal-owned Venmo has a similar feature that allows users to purchase, store, and trade cryptocurrencies right on the app through a partnership with Paxos Trust Company. PayPal also began to accept Bitcoin as a means of payment for its millions of worldwide merchants last year in March.