Bitcoin Daily: GoldConnect To Take Crypto Payments Through BitPay; Bakkt Debuts P2P Capabilities

Telecommunications provider GoldConnect, which works in the Latin America and Caribbean regions, will now be accepting cryptocurrency payments, according to a press release.

The payments will be accepted through a partnership the company has with BitPay, the release stated. GoldConnect hopes to entice new customers to its service via the crypto payments.

“GoldConnect realizes the potential for crypto to transform the wholesale telecommunication industry, making payments faster, more secure and less expensive on a global scale,” said BitPay Vice President of Product Shaun Worley in the release.

In other news, Bakkt, a digital asset marketplace, has rolled out new peer-to-peer (P2P) capabilities to allow for the sending of cryptocurrency via a single wallet, according to a press release.

Users can send bitcoin, gift cards and cash to anyone, including people who don’t currently have access to the Bakkt app, the release stated.

“Bakkt has aimed to provide the app, marketplace and payments infrastructure to make all digital assets transactable, and this new functionality welcomes everyone to have a frictionless digital experience to send and receive bitcoin, gift cards or cash to anyone,” said Bakkt CEO Gavin Michael in the release.

Meanwhile, hedge funds are planning to keep investing in cryptocurrency, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

The development is a new vote of confidence for digital assets, a reprieve from recent precipitous price falls and various countries implementing new rules, according to the report.

A survey of over 100 hedge funds’ chief financial officers (CFOs) around the world showed that the executives think they’ll be able to hold around 7.2 percent on their crypto assets within the next five years, the report stated.

Lastly, Bitwise Asset Management, which is the world’s biggest crypto fund manager, has completed a $70 million Series B funding round, valuing the company at over $500 million, according to a press release.

Bitwise plans to use its new funding to boost its balance sheet along with speeding up the buildout of its organization, team and product suite, the release stated.

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley said in the release that the company is “focused on equipping investment professionals with the products, education and relationships they need to steward crypto and blockchain investments on behalf of their clients and LPs over the long run.”