A truly secure, user-friendly payment experience is key to bitcoin's success as a payment method. BitPay aims to make that possible with its new app. (Photo: Business Wire)

A truly secure, user-friendly payment experience is key to bitcoin's success as a payment method. BitPay aims to make that possible with its new app. (Photo: Business Wire)

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today global bitcoin payments provider BitPay announced the release of the BitPay app, a full-featured wallet app for securely storing and spending bitcoin.

BitPay has developed bitcoin payment acceptance tools for leading companies like Microsoft, Steam, and Newegg.com. The company has also spent two years honing Copay – the leading open source wallet platform in Bitcoin. The BitPay app brings together BitPay's experience in merchant payments and BitPay's tools for consumer bitcoin payments into one place, opening up new possibilities for bitcoin adoption and use.

Bitcoin, the world's most popular digital currency, has been gaining traction since its 2009 release. Consumers and merchants around the world have turned to bitcoin as an internet-friendly alternative to credit cards. Bitcoin offers a fast and secure way to transfer funds around the world, and many use bitcoin as a store of value or portfolio asset.

Still, security and ease of use have rarely gone together for bitcoin's early applications. Many non-technical users have been locked out of practical ways to use bitcoin. The BitPay app changes that, without compromising on security or usability.

BitPay app users can turn bitcoin into dollars with the BitPay Visa® Prepaid Debit Card and buy or sell bitcoin on exchanges – all without leaving the app. These integrations give bitcoin users a way to bridge their digital and traditional finances without leaving BitPay.

Most services that offer these features require users to store bitcoin in company-managed accounts, which are vulnerable to security breaches and hacks. BitPay app users retain full control of their funds at all times with device-based private keys, simple fund backup flows, and multi-device authentication. An onboarding flow and user education make secure bitcoin storage accessible to beginners.

"The BitPay app represents an important part of our continued work as a bitcoin payments leader," said BitPay CEO Stephen Pair. "This app allows us to innovate within the bitcoin payment experience and bring new users and companies into the bitcoin ecosystem."

The BitPay app is available on all mobile and desktop platforms now.

About BitPay

The first and most experienced company in bitcoin payments, BitPay builds powerful tools for spending, accepting, and building with bitcoin.

For more information, visit www.bitpay.com or email media@bitpay.com.