Do more with your crypto: beyond the buy and sell buttons

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Simply spend, earn, send, receive and trade 100+ cryptocurrencies and more on Coinbase

  • Direct deposit coming soon: customers will be able to deposit any percentage of their paycheck into their Coinbase account in crypto or USD
  • Coinbase Card adds ability to spend USD; offers new rewards with DAI, AMP and RLY; and general availability starts this Fall
  • Since the launch of Coinbase Earn in 2018 more than 6.5 million unique users on Coinbase have earned crypto

By Max Branzburg, VP of Product, Coinbase

Coinbase began with a radical idea that anyone should be able to easily, simply, and securely access bitcoin. We’ve come a long way since then.

Today, consumers have more options than ever when looking for a place to buy and sell bitcoin. This is something to celebrate. It means crypto is gaining more adoption around the world.

At Coinbase, our goal is to enable everyone to get more out of their money with the power of crypto. That’s why we’re determined to deliver the most trusted full suite of crypto-first financial services to our 68 million users.

Get paid in crypto

With more of their spending, earning, trading and borrowing happening on Coinbase, customers will need simpler ways to fund their Coinbase accounts. In the coming weeks, we’ll launch the ability for customers in the US to get paid into Coinbase. Customers can get paid in crypto or US dollars and can choose any percentage of their paycheck to deposit. With direct deposit, customers can more easily access our crypto-first financial services and be ready for any trade or purchase.

Reimagine crypto spending and earning

As customers look to the cryptoeconomy to meet their everyday financial needs, they need a way to easily make purchases with crypto and earn yield on their portfolio.

Coinbase Card is a Visa® debit card that gives customers up to 4% back in crypto rewards¹ on every eligible purchase, so our customers can seamlessly buy everyday items with crypto². Here’s what’s new:

  • Starting this week, cardholders can spend US Dollars (as well as crypto), while earning crypto rewards
  • Coinbase Card holders can already choose to earn 1% back in ETH, DOGE, or BTC or 4% back in GRT or XLM. Starting this week, they can also choose to earn 1% back in DAI or 4% back in AMP or RLY.
  • All customers* in the US will be eligible to sign up for a Coinbase Card starting this Fall

In addition to earning by spending, the ability to earn crypto without buying or transacting it has been critical in bringing more people into the cryptoeconomy. I’m excited to share that since the launch of Coinbase Earn in 2018, more than 6.5 million unique users have earned crypto for completing educational tasks such as watching videos and answering questions. Coinbase Earn is live today in 42 countries and we have plans to add more in the coming months.

Designing for the cryptoeconomy

Powered by crypto and blockchain technology, the cryptoeconomy has the opportunity to be a more fair, accessible, efficient, and transparent financial system for the internet age. Our goal is to be the gateway to this new financial system, by building a platform that is safe, trusted, and easy-to-use.

That means designing products with a simple UX that makes our platform usable and intuitive for even the newest entrants to the cryptoeconomy. Our app was originally designed for trading a few dozen crypto assets, but as we continue to build out a full-suite of financial services for the cryptoeconomy, our UX needed an overhaul to accommodate.

We made a number of improvements to our Mobile and Web apps, including:

  • A new ‘Assets’ tab to view your crypto holdings and discover new features
  • A revamped ‘Trade’ tab to help you research assets and transact for both novice & advanced traders alike
  • A new ‘Pay’ tab to access Coinbase Card and P2P payments for everyday spending
  • A new ‘For You’ tab to discover news, insights & education and engage with the broader cryptoeconomy

Our goal is to deliver the best financial services that consumers are used to, but in an even better way with crypto and blockchain technology. Financial services built on crypto have the potential to enable more fair and equal access to wealth for anyone, anywhere, without prejudice. It’s still early days, but by building the foundation of the primary financial account, we’re one step closer to enabling more economic freedom for the world.

*Coinbase Card will be available to all eligible customers in the US, excluding Hawaii.

¹Crypto rewards is an optional Coinbase offer.

²Coinbase will automatically convert all cryptocurrency to US Dollars for use in purchases and ATM withdrawals.

The Coinbase Card is issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. The Coinbase Card is powered by Marqeta.

Do more with your crypto: beyond the buy and sell buttons was originally published in The Coinbase Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.