Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images Coinbase has just launched in Australia The first licensed bitcoin exchange to launch in the United States, has just set up shop in Australia.
Through Coinbase, Aussies can now buy two digital currencies, bitcoin and ether, using their credit or debit cards through the San Francisco-based company. For the moment, the platform won’t allow Australians to sell digital currency, just buy it.
Founded in 2012, the Coinbase app and site supports digital wallets and digital currency transactions. It also founded the Global Digital Asset Exchange, where bitcoin (and as of May , ethereum) can be transacted. Access to the professional trading platform is also available to Australians.
"We have Coinbase, which is for retail investors and for professional traders, we have GDAX," Ankur Nandwani, product manager at Coinbase, tells Mashable Australia .
Now in 33 countries, Coinbase has no local staff or office. Nandwani said the delayed launch Down Under was simply a matter of getting things right.
"We want to make sure we are regulated and doing everything the right way, so it took some time to figure that out," he explains. "We did not encounter any substantial regulatory obstacles in accepting customers from Australia." Image: Getty Images for TechCrunch Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong appears on stage at the 2014 TechCrunch Disrupt Europe/London Despite initially offering Coinbase with only a ‘buy’ function, he suggests Australia would soon see extra features. "When we launch in a new country, we want to take a safe approach and understand how people are using the product," he said. "Right now, we are starting with ‘buy’ and as we get more feedback and understand the customers more, we hope to offer the ‘sell’ functionality in the near future.
"In the U.S., you can buy Bitcoin by linking your bank account, you can buy it […]
