Cryptocurrencies have dominated the fintech headlines this week- from Mastercard agreeing to allow merchants to accept payments in cryptocurrencies to BNY Mellon’s announcement that it will begin custody of cryptocurrencies.
Today, after bitcoin reached an all-time high of over $48,000, marketing services company Kasasa unveiled plans to help its bank and credit union clients provide bitcoin wallets to their consumers.
The new capabilities will be powered by a partnership with New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG), a technology and financial services firm dedicated to Bitcoin. The collaboration will help Kasasa’s bank clients stay ahead of the rapidly growing bitcoin adoption.
“Clearly, Bitcoin is here to stay, and consumers are demanding that Bitcoin offerings be made through their trusted financial institutions,” said Kasasa CIO John Waupsh. “With this new partnership, we’re looking across the product and services that Kasasa currently offers, as well as future product and service ideas. With NYDIG we can evaluate new offerings such as a buy-sell-hold wallet while also incorporating Bitcoin into our core rewards business.”
This partnership will be a major selling point for Kasasa, especially as consumer interest in cryptocurrencies rise. According to NYDIG, more than 22% of U.S. adults over the age of 18 own Bitcoin today.
This interest, combined with the creation of formal regulation like the OCC’s recent ruling that banks may use stablecoins for payment facilitation, is bringing cyrptocurrencies into the forefront of banks’ agendas. With today’s partnership, Kasasa is better positioned to help small financial institutions compete with larger players when it comes to cryptocurrencies.