Digital assets solutions provider BitGo has debuted a dedicated retail platform.
The new platform, announced Monday (Dec. 2), is designed to offer retail customers access to BitGo’s digital asset trading, staking, wallets and qualified custody services.
“We are thrilled to launch BitGo’s dedicated retail platform and offer the same white-glove, crypto-native solutions to retail investors that we’ve delivered to the global institutional market since 2013,” Mike Belshe, CEO of BitGo, said in a news release.
“Retail investors need a security-first, crypto-native platform, and we are excited to serve as that trusted partner,” he added. “We look forward to enhancing the retail investing, trading, storage, and staking experience for investors around the world.”
The company said its platform offers the security that comes from safeguarding billions in cryptocurrency assets for institutions, along with access to “secure, regulated custody” via cold and self-storage, trading, staking, lending and wallet services. The company is also offering a giveaway to American retail customers, giving them the chance to win a full bitcoin each quarter by signing up.
In other crypto news, PYMNTS last week explored the concept of shopping with the digital currency, something that is increasingly for more consumers than diehards and technophiles.
“Plus, with the holiday shopping season officially here, many consumers are interested in exploring what they can buy with crypto, while merchants and businesses are navigating the complexities of accepting it as a payment mechanism,” that report said. “Crypto payments are instant, which means no more pending transactions. For online marketplaces, these payments can help enable streamlined cross-border purchases.”
With regulations tightening and technology improving, observers are hopeful that crypto payments go from being a novelty to a fixture of retail and online commerce. As a sign of the shifting tides of commerce, crypto payments have begun making inroads in B2B.
And, as that report added, the adoption of crypto as a payment mechanism is part of a bigger shift toward the digital transformation of payments.
For example, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase recently acquired the Utopia Labs team to boost its onchain payments roadmap within Coinbase Wallet.
“Together, we’ll create a future where individuals and businesses large and small use onchain payments to make their lives better every day,” Jesse Pollak, head of Base and Coinbase Wallet, said at the time.
And, at the beginning of November, payments acceptance provider Ingenico began a partnership with Crypto.com to bring cryptocurrency payments and merchant services to users of the Ingenico platform, allowing merchants worldwide to accept crypto payments.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
