MoneyGram and Coinme partner to enable better access to digital currencies

By Pavithra R

MoneyGram International, a global leader in cross-border P2P payments and money transfers, has announced a new partnership with Coinme, a leading digital currency exchange on a mission to make digital currency more accessible for everyone, to enable the cash funding and payout of digital currency purchases and sales. 

The collaboration will leverage on MoneyGram’s modern, mobile and API-driven payments platform and Coinme’s proprietary cryptocurrency exchange and custody technology to bring bitcoin to new point-of-sale locations in the U.S., with plans to expand to select international markets in the second half of 2021.

“This innovative partnership opens our business to an entirely new customer segment as we are the first to pioneer a crypto-to-cash model by building a bridge with Coinme to connect bitcoin to local fiat currency. Our unique, global network is an incredibly valuable asset, and we’re excited to open our platform to Coinme as we increasingly look to capture new growth by monetizing our network to new use-cases,” said Alex Holmes, MoneyGram Chairman and CEO.

The partnership integration will provide a fast and easy way for customers to purchase bitcoin with cash and withdraw bitcoin holdings in cash. It is specially designed for customers who are interested in utilizing bitcoin for the first time. The alliance is expected to further expand access to bitcoin and potentially other digital currencies by creating new point-of-sale locations to buy and sell cryptocurrency.

“MoneyGram has spent more than 80 years building one of the world’s largest P2P payment networks. By integrating its global infrastructure with our licensed crypto exchange technology, we can enable the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies across its system using cash. This is a major milestone for the bitcoin and cryptocurrency communities, and for the millions of people who will benefit from a trusted, easy and affordable onramp to digital currency,” said Neil Bergquist, Coinme CEO.

The service will be initially available in select MoneyGram locations starting in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Additional countries and cryptocurrencies will be made available shortly thereafter.

Recently,  IBS Intelligence listed Coinme in 3 fastest growing FinTech companies in Seattle.