PayPal rolls out cryptocurrency service to UK
01:24, 23 August 2021
PayPal is expanding its cryptocurrency service outside its home US market for the first time with the news that UK customers will now be able to buy and sell digital currencies.
From Monday, PayPal’s UK customers will be able to buy, sell and hold bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and litecoin via their accounts, with purchases starting from a minimum of GBP1.
PayPal launched the same service in the US in October last year and its CEO mentioned on its second quarter results call three weeks ago that it was looking to expand this to the UK.
Cryptocurrency goes mainstream
The San Jose, California headquartered company will use New York regulated digital currency firm Paxos to manage the crypto-dealing, according to CNBC.
While PayPal’s new service will enable its customers to trade cryptocurrencies all transactions must remain on the app.
PayPal has over 400 million active accounts globally and its move follows an announcement by Mastercard earlier this year that it would be enabling cryptocurrency payments via its network, demonstrating mainstream acceptance of digital currencies.
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Working with regulators
The UK financial regulator recently banned Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, from trading in the UK and PayPal acknowledged the regulatory implications of its move to expand its cryptocurrency services in the country.
"We are committed to continue working closely with regulators in the UK, and around the world, to offer our support— and meaningfully contribute to shaping the role digital currencies will play in the future of global finance and commerce," Jose Fernandez da Ponte, general manager for blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital currencies at PayPal, said in a statement announcing the new service.
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