Bitcoin wallet firm Blockchain adds purchase option

Bitcoin wallet company Blockchain is partnering with payments startup Coinify to test a new wallet purchasing option.

Announced today, the feature will allow users of the popular wallet service to buy bitcoin directly. Coinify is headquartered in Denmark and operates in more than 30 cities across the region.

Today’s announcement marks that Blockchain and Coinify will test the Bitcoin option with invited European customers, and the startup is eyeing the wider European market in the coming weeks. Feedback received during the test will be used to adjust the option in anticipation of a global rollout of the Bitcoin option in the coming months, but the timing is currently uncertain.

The two startups see the integration as a means to reduce friction in the bitcoin purchasing process.

Blockchain CEO Peter Smith said in a statement:

“ This announcement represents a huge step forward for Bitcoin, which is still a nascent currency, in providing more attractive and efficient financial solutions to new users. ”

The feature would mark a notable shift in strategy for the blockchain company, which has emphasized software wallet design but has not had a purchase option feature since its founding in 2012.

Previously, Coinify raised $ 4 million in a round led by Swedish banking group SEB and Danish early-stage venture capital fund SEED Capital , its second funding round to date. Blockchain raised $ 3 million in its Series A round in 2014 .