Bitstamp extends card payments for bitcoin beyond the EU

Bitstamp, a cryptocurrency exchange fully regulated in the EU as a payment institution just announced that Visa and MasterCard debit and credit card purchases have now been expanded to include the following countries:

Switzerland, Norway, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Andorra, Moldova, Gibraltar, Iceland, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, Aland Islands, San Marino, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Chile, Kuwait, Cayman Islands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Peru, Madagascar, Mozambique, Dominican Republic, Curacao, Dominica, Jordan, the Bahamas, Bahrain, French Polynesia, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Reunion, Jamaica, Paraguay, Brunei, New Caledonia, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Sint Maarten.

This means that if you are in the EU 28 or any of the countries listed above, you can now purchase bitcoin instantly using your Visa or MasterCard credit/debit card.

Only a one-time verification of your card details is required before instant bitcoin purchases on Bitstamp are activated. This service has been brought to you in cooperation with Bitstamp partner, Simplex.

In addition, purchases were extended last week to USD 5,000/EUR 5,000 daily and USD 20,000/EUR 20,000 monthly. Also, last month, XRP trading was introduced on the exchange. Bitstamp stated more updates are on the way as the exchange looks to beef up its offering in 2017.