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Key facts:
Users of the portfolio is native to the platform may also store and use ETH.Until now, the cryptocurrencies accepted are bitcoin and bitcoin cash, along with several stablecoins.The platform payments processor BitPay announced on 16 September that in the next few weeks you will begin to accept payments with ether (ETH).The information was disseminated through a message posted on his Twitter account. The press release points out that the merchants that use BitPay will be able to accept that customers make their payments with etherwithout the need of integration and without having to make any improvements manually. This includes merchants such as Microsoft, Newegg, Dish Networks, FanDuel, and Avnet, as it narrows the company. Likewise, although it is not specified an official release date, it is explained that los users of the portfolio is native to the platform may also store and use ETH. Meanwhile, holders of the Card Visa prepaid BitPay will be able to reload debit cards. In this way, the second criptomoneda more important, by market capitalization, joins the group of criptoactivos accepted by BitPay as a means of payment. In this regard, the CEO of BitPay, Stephen Pair, noted that given its characteristics and its acceptance among thousands of companies, “Ethereum is the next logical choice”.On this process of implementation of support for the ETH, the co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, expressed his satisfaction “to see BitPay leading the way in the integration of Ethereum in payment systems worldwide.”
This really opens up a new world of possibilities for the ecosystem, Ethereum, and together we can continue to be an innovative leader in the use cases from the real world for the cryptocurrencies.Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum
Until now, the main cryptocurrencies accepted by the platform of BitPay has been bitcoin (BTC). Subsequently they began to accept bitcoin cash (BCH), together with the cryptocurrencies anchored or stablecoins USD//Coin (USDC), gemini dollar (GUSD), and Paxos Standard (PAX). The system also accepts other 12 coins, in addition to bank deposits in 37 countries, including several in Latin America.
New security measures and reviews
In recent months, the platform BitPay has intensified its security mechanisms. At the beginning of last August, the company reported on the introduction of new measures of verification of identity for certain payments and refunds. For this reason, it is now necessary for users to undergo a process of validation that requires the entry of data such as passport number and personal id with photo.These new measures have generated criticism in the community, which looks with skepticism and caution can use the platforms of their private data, without your consent. In the same month of August, the platform has also been the target of negative comments by the rejection of a donation of USD 100,000 to a charity organization that sought to protect the amazon rainforest from the forest fires. The reason, according to the company, was that the maximum limit of payment had been established under that amount.Most recently heard a new criticism when the platform froze payments in bitcoin to the web site of Hong Kong’s Free Press. The editor-in-chief of the press agency, non-profit, Tom Grundy, accused BitPay to retain their funds for nearly three weeks. He said that the processing of payments retained his money because the banks in Hong Kong do not support the IBAN (International Bank Account Number). This comment raised questions about whether BitPay is or is not compatible with this code serves to identify at the international level a bank account.