Global Expansion is Next Act for Bitcoin Cash App Abra
Bill Barhydt talks fast, often in big, sweeping terms that pass with the frequency of mile markers. "We are basically preparing Abra to go global as quickly as possible," he says in interview. On the phone with CoinDesk, Barhydt even sounds as if he’s flying through space and time, the wind rushing around him audibly as we kick off a conversation about Abra, the peer-to-peer "digital cash" startup for which he has served as CEO since 2014. While Barhydt exudes velocity, the language he employs seem a far cry from his startups muted public presence. While the company has....
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Renowned remittance application Abra announces Bitcoin support. Abra announced the next phase of its global expansion at the North American Bitcoin Conference today. The plans are to enable Abra worldwide next month, activating global network of Tellers who can transact in over 50 currencies, including directly in Bitcoin. This means that anyone with a smartphone in any country can send or receive funds in most major currencies and can cash in or out of their Abra wallet, even without a bank account. Bitcoin has been a large part of and the key to Abra’s efforts, albeit not always....
Abra, a non-custodial bitcoin wallet app that allows people to send money for free from their bank accounts, is now available in the U.S. and the Philippines, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company announced on its website. Abra is available on iPhone and Android in the U.S. The company’s goal is to be a global financial inclusion app for the expanding cross-border remittance market. A U.S. user can add cash to their Abra wallet from any major bank account, then send it for free to any phone number in the U.S. or the Philippines via the bitcoin blockchain. Recipients can withdraw the....
Bill Barhydt, the founder and CEO of Abra, the highly anticipated Bitcoin-based remittance application, announced at the North American Bitcoin Conference on January 17 that the firm will launch its global digital cash network next month. Upon the launch of Abra, users will be able to send and receive money in over 50 currencies. Abra also includes direct Bitcoin support allowing users to send Bitcoin payments to family members or friends abroad with low fees. Essentially, Abra is a peer-to-peer version of today’s remittance service providers. Instead of having to visit physical locations....
After months of small-scale testing in the Philippines, blockchain payments app Abra launched in the US market today. The expansion comes after CoinDesk learned details of an aggressive expansion plan in place at the startup, which to date has garnered $14m in venture funding to expand to more than 20 markets by 2017. The firm raised $12m in a Series A funding round last fall. CEO Bill Barhydt, a former director for web browser Netscape, pointed to the US market as "the hub" from which the startup plans to connect to other markets worldwide, a factor that made it the next logical....
Abra is just one of the many Bitcoin startups to rake in a lot of funding, but having very little to show for it. Various Bitcoin companies and startups have received significant amounts of funding over the past few years. This seems only normal, as the technology and protocol making up the Bitcoin network can be of great value to people and companies all over the world. Abra is one of the companies seeing a lot of funds flowing in, even though they still don’t have a working prototype of their smartphone app. For some reason, they made it to the Angellist top startup list. When the....