Investment Platform Etoro Launches in the US with 10 Cryptocurrencies

Social trading platform Etoro is expanding into the US. Pre-registration has already begun. Initially, 10 cryptocurrencies will be offered, but the company plans to add more throughout the year. The company’s crypto business has boomed in recent years, with 70% of its users reportedly trading cryptocurrencies.

Also read: Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space

Etoro Launching in the US

Social investment platform Etoro has announced that it is expanding into the US market. CEO Yoni Assia unveiled the company’s plans at the Consensus conference on Tuesday. According to the announcement:

The launch will initially enable U.S.-based users to invest in 10 cryptocurrencies, with more to be added throughout 2018. Users will have access to a community feed and tools, letting them engage in conversations about cryptocurrencies and follow the investment strategies of other U.S. users.

Launched in 2007, Etoro is regulated in Europe by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority. The company says it has more than 10 million registered users across 140 countries in Europe, Asia, and Australia, with an accumulated capital funding of more than $162 million. Currently, its website shows 247,387,974 open trades on the platform.

Assia commented, “Etoro will continue to focus on simplicity and user-friendliness so that more diverse groups will feel welcomed into the global crypto community.”

Pre-Registration Begins for US Users

The company explained that US users can join the waiting list for the platform starting on May 15. “Users will be able to experience the interface and perform mock cryptocurrency investments via a virtual portfolio,” its announcement details, adding:

The 10 cryptocurrencies that will be initially available are: bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, XRP, dash, bitcoin cash, stellar, ethereum classic, NEO, and EOS. Etoro intends to integrate several more cryptocurrencies throughout 2018.

“The platform will offer U.S. investors three ways to access the crypto markets,” Etoro described. The first way is “by manually investing in a coin.” The second is “by automatically copying the trades of other traders on the platform to benefit from their knowledge and investment expertise.” The third is “by investing in a Crypto Copyfund which provides a diversified portfolio of major crypto assets.”

A Copyfund is Etoro’s investment product aimed at helping investors minimize long-term risk, its website states. “Once you invest in a Copyfund, your capital is professionally managed by Etoro’s investment committee. Each Copyfund’s performance is analysed in depth and rebalanced automatically to maximise its gain potential.”

Etoro’s Booming Crypto Business

In January last year, the platform added cryptocurrencies. According to Fortune, “In recent years, the company’s crypto business has boomed with 70% of its users trading digital currency.”

In an interview with the news outlet, Assia predicted that Etoro’s “unusual social media features would help it gain a foothold” in the US. “Those features let users create a public profile of their investments, which in turn allows others on Etoro to track and copy their trading decisions.”

Commenting on the crackdown by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) targeting tokens that resemble securities, Assia told the publication that he is confident “the digital assets Etoro plans to list are currencies not securities.” He expects Etoro will list as many as 15 tokens by the end of the year, the news outlet conveyed, adding that the company also “plans to open a global wallet and exchange service later this year that is aimed at institutional traders.”

Currently, the aforementioned ten cryptocurrencies are already being offered on the platform for non-US users.

What do you think of Etoro launching in the US? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Medium, and Etoro.

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