One of the most popular messaging apps is WhatsApp and they made news recently when they announced they are adding Bitcoin. The first two coins to be sent and received on WhatsApp will be Bitcoin and Litecoin. The crypto messaging platform, Lite.Im will be available on WhatsApp and Lite.Im will make it possible to buy and sell Bitcoin and Litecoin.
Crypto Transactions Getting Easier
There is no doubt that one of the big hurdles with cryptocurrency is getting people to use it without jumping through a bunch of hoops. WhatsApp will make it easier for users to make cryptocurrency transactions. Some people still find the process of dealing with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies a little bit intimidating and WhatsApp is hoping to change that.
Lite.Im has made it easier for some companies to get involved in cryptocurrency transactions. Lite.Im already offers service for some other messenger services like Facebook Messenger, Telegram and SMS. WhatsApp has more than 1.5 billion users, so there is no question that cryptocurrency should get some mainstream attention if it is available on WhatsApp.
Bitcoin Becoming Mainstream
Bitcoin has been in the news a lot lately and more and more companies are adding Bitcoin payment options. A number of marquee companies have recently added Bitcoin, with most using a third-party processor to handle the Bitcoin transactions. Not only are companies adding Bitcoin as a payment option, some of the biggest stock trading companies are adding Bitcoin to their platforms. Fidelity and E-Trade recently announced they are adding cryptocurrency trading and Ameritrade is also looking at how to handle cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin has more than doubled in price in the last year, going from just over $3,000 to about $8,000. Bitcoin got a boost on Sunday night, as the cryptocurrency was featured on 60 minutes. There was a segment on the show that went over the history of Bitcoin and why it was created. It also featured an interview with Laszlo Hanyecz who spent 10,000 Bitcoin for pizza. That transaction was supposedly the first transaction involving a cryptocurrency. And that was when Bitcoin was not worth anything like it is today. Getting major network attention should only help Bitcoin become more accepted as a currency.
We definitely know that more and more people are getting into Bitcoin every day, as the cryptocurrency becomes more popular. Some companies, including leading online sportsbook BookMaker, have been using Bitcoin for years and now most of their customers use Bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals.
You may not be aware that some other major companies have added Bitcoin to their payment methods. You can actually use Bitcoin at Amazon if you go through a third-party processor. You can also use Bitcoin at sites like Expedia, Overstock, Newegg, KFC in Canada, Subway and Dish. It was recently announced that other companies are going to use a third-party processor like Gemini or Flexa to make it so customers can pay using Bitcoin. Some of those companies are Baskin Robbins, Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, Lowe’s and Office Depot.
Sometimes it is forgotten that you can use Bitcoin to pay for goods and services and to transfer money. And many times the companies that you are paying Bitcoin to won’t even know you are using the cryptocurrency. That will be the case with many of the ones listed above that are using third-party processors like Gemini and Flexa. The customer will simply use their e-wallet to pay for goods or services and how they funded those e-wallets will be unknown to the merchant. And merchants don’t care anyway, as long as they get paid.
Other companies, like the ones listed earlier, make it possible to use Bitcoin without a third-party processor. Those companies, like BookMaker, are going to become more popular, because it is always cheaper to offer something directly, rather than go through a third-party that will tack on a service charge.
Check out the latest Bitcoin deposit and withdrawal options at BookMaker today.