The Fold app — a Lightning-compatible mobile app that offers users Bitcoin rewards (BTC) while shopping — has joined Visa’s Fintech Fast Track Program. Joining the program will enable the app to launch a new Visa co-branded card, which continues the offer of Bitcoin rewards for purchases made at retailers. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Fold’s CEO Will Reeves said that Visa would be providing the company with financial support and a dedicated team to bring the new Bitcoin cash-back rewards card to market. Earn, don’t spend, your Bitcoin As reported, the Fold app has so far been offering users the ability …

Canadian cryptocurrency payments provider, NetCents, has completed the technical integration of its consumer credit card into its proprietary ecosystem. NetCents announced March 20 that it had begun edge-case scenario testing in real-world environments in order to ready the card for launch. Not like other crypto credit cards The NetCents credit card promises users will not have to pre-load cryptocurrency onto their cards, differing from otherwise-similar products already on the market. Cards which require pre-loading can sometimes rob users of crypto value appreciation they would have otherwise received in the interim between loading and spending their coins. The NetCents card is …

A multicurrency wallet has announced that it will allow users in the European Union to withdraw Bitcoin to their Visa credit cards. Lumi Wallet says its new feature has been built with simplicity in mind, with an easy-to-follow Know Your Customer procedure. Transactions can also be initiated quickly, meaning crypto enthusiasts don’t need to jump through endless hoops. Upending the status quo According to the company, the current methods of converting crypto to fiat simply aren’t practical — creating a “perplexing affair” that’s not too dissimilar from the arduous process of getting a refund from an online retailer. Although selling …

Coinbase is now a principal member of Visa, according to a Feb. 19 announcement. This will allow it to issue debit cards without relying on third parties. The membership is an evolution of Coinbase’s current relationship with Visa, with the cryptocurrency exchange providing a Visa-based debit card. Called Coinbase Card, it allows customers residing in the European Union or European Community to spend multiple cryptocurrencies. While the card itself can function globally, it cannot be ordered by people residing outside of the supported areas. Coinbase reports that the card is seeing the most usage in the United Kingdom, followed by …

Cryptocurrency businesses worldwide are continuing to integrate fiat onramps into their operations in an effort to make it easier for customers to jump into crypto. United Kingdom-based cryptocurrency lending startup Celsius Network has launched in-app crypto purchases via a new partnership with Simplex, according to a Feb. 18 announcement. Simplex, a popular fiat-to-crypto payments provider servicing major crypto exchanges like Binance, will now unlock direct crypto purchases for Celsius app users. Celsius clients will now be able to buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) via credit or debit cards. Similar to other Simplex-powered fiat onramps, the new feature …

Binance has added 15 additional fiat currency options for Visa and Mastercard purchases on its platform. Since Feb. 14, the exchange’s partner Simplex can be used to buy crypto across many countries in the world. The list of supported currencies has been expanded to the British pound sterling, South Korean won, Russian ruble, Australian dollar, Swiss franc, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, New Zealand dollar, Polish złoty, Swedish krona, Turkish lira, South African rand, Hungarian forint, and Israeli shekel. Binance users can utilize this option via the Buy Crypto page, which allows purchases of a select list of cryptocurrencies: …

Major global cryptocurrency exchange Binance now allows users to buy crypto directly through Visa credit and debit cards. In a Dec. 26 announcement, Binance said that its users are able to directly purchase four cryptocurrencies after binding their accounts to Visa cards issued within the European Economic Area. Binance users can buy four cryptocurrencies with euros or pounds Once the Visa card is linked, users can buy four cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP and Binance’s native token Binance Coin (BNB) with euros or British pounds. According to the announcement, Binance plans to add support for Mastercard and additional …

Japan’s top credit card issuer JCB plans to adopt a new business-to-business (B2B) payment solution based on blockchain technology. JCB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with blockchain-based commercial payments platform Paystand to develop a digital payment platform for enterprises and customers in Japan, Cointelegraph Japan reports Dec. 20. Initiative to cut costs and delays associated with “pre-internet technology” in Japan’s $10 trillion B2B market The new joint development aims to cut costs and delays associated with “pre-internet technology” that is still practiced in Japan’s $10 trillion B2B market that is still dominated by cash transactions, Paystand CEO Jeremy …

Bitcoin (BTC) scammers may be abandoning the cryptocurrency to focus on extorting money via prepaid debit cards, a new study suggests. Revealing its findings in a blog post on Dec. 16, cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab highlighted a growing trend in Brazil as an example of hackers’ growing taste for prepaid cards. Prepaid cards’ international appeal Specifically, a so-called “sextortion” scam — demanding a victim pay money to avoid compromising information about his or her private life going public — targets Acesso cards in the country. “The debit cards in this particular sextortion scheme — Acesso cards — are sold in …

Israeli-based fintech and cryptocurrency firm Simplex now supports two new fiat currencies — the Japanese yen (JPY) and the Canadian dollar (CAD). Following the addition, users at some of Simplex’s partner exchanges such as Binance will be able to buy crypto via credit cards using JPY and CAD, industry publication The Block reports Dec. 9. Not all Simplex’s partner exchanges will be supporting JPY and CAD by default Cointelegraph contacted both Simplex and Binance in order to confirm the news. Simplex’s spokesperson confirmed the report, noting that the company’s partners are now able to allow their users to buy crypto …

Argentina’s central bank had formally banned consumers from purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency using credit cards on Nov. 1. What followed was the very opposite of what the Argentine government had anticipated — over the past two weeks, the country has traded the highest amount of Bitcoins on the peer-to-peer platform LocalBitcoins, according to data by CoinDance. Argentina’s fragile economy One of the biggest factors in the high adoption of crypto in the country is the high volatility of the Argentine peso. In just the past five years, the value of the peso against the United States dollar has …

Customers of the United States-based branch of major crypto exchange Binance, Binance.US, can now purchase cryptocurrencies using their debit cards. In a blog post on Nov. 1, Binance.US announced that the exchange will now offer its customers the possibility to purchase cryptocurrencies with a debit card, joining existing U.S. dollar on-ramp and off-ramps, including the automated clearinghouse (ACH) and bank wire. Binance.US also announced that in its first 30 days since launching, the exchange jumped to $15 million in daily trading volume, while increasing its token listings from seven to twenty-four tokens, bringing a total of 40 trading pairs to …