The Bitcoin-based payment gateway Abra has added Bitcoin purchasing directly from its wallet.
In a press release Thursday, the international processor said it was “confident” its purchasing function was “the least expensive [automated clearing house-based] option for buying Bitcoin today.”
Abra already uses Bitcoin ‘behind the scenes’ in order to send international remittances between users around the world, which leave and arrive in denominated currencies users stipulate.
The ACH option is currently only available to US and Filipino bank account holders, with other methods such as Abra’s teller network available for residents in remaining jurisdictions. Bank account functionality will spread in future to other countries, the company states.
Bitcoin purchasing for Abra is timely, given the shifts in price expected this week as a decision to allow or refuse the first Bitcoin ETF comes Friday or Monday.
Bitcoin’s sustained $1000+ price point is having a knock-on effect not just for purchasing the digital currency itself, but its use as a point-of-sale payment method.
Tour booking firm CheapAir, which has been accepting Bitcoin since 2013, revealed this week its year-on-year Bitcoin sales had risen 74 percent over the past six months.
“I think it's great that many [Bitcoin enthusiasts] are enjoying a nice windfall right now and, of course, we want to help them spend some of that windfall on travel!" CEO Jeff Klee commented.