On the heels of the successful launch of its redesigned app, Abra, the first and only all-in-one app allowing users to buy, sell and hold across 20 cryptocurrencies and 50 fiat currencies, announced the availability of the seven remaining altcoins to its platform. With Abra, users can exchange across any currency with no deposit or exchange transaction fees, at any time with no limitations.
Bitcoin Gold [BTG], Stellar Lumens [XLM], DigiByte [DGB], Augur [REP], Status [SNT], Stratis [STRAT] and 0x [ZRX] will now be available on the Abra app in addition to Bitcoin [BTC], Bitcoin Cash [BCH], Dash [DASH], Dogecoin [DOGE], Ethereum [ETH], Ethereum Classic [ETC], Golem [GNT], Litecoin [LTC], OmiseGO [OMG], Qtum [QTUM], Ripple [XRP], Vertcoin [VTC] and Zcash [ZEC].
Bill Barhydt, Founder & CEO of Abra, said
Since launching the new version of our app in March, we have seen a tremendous amount of interest and support for the cryptocurrencies we added to our platform, especially from India, which is an extremely attractive market for Abra. We were pleased to see that a large share of our downloads and user base originated from there. Just in the last 2 weeks, users in over 70 countries have transacted on the Abra app with Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple, Litecoin and OmiseGO leading the way in transaction volume. We will continue to expand our global presence to give our users around the world a truly seamless experience.
How Abra works
Consumers can add money to their wallets using a US bank account, a supported American Express card or using bitcoin purchased outside Abra from anywhere in the world. They can then invest in any of the 20 cryptocurrencies and 50 fiat currencies offered on the Abra app, quickly, easily and safely. To develop the new wallet and integrated exchange, Abra built a first-of-its-kind platform using price-stabilized crypto tokens, called stablecoins, that facilitates holding both fiat coins as well as cryptocurrencies through a combination of litecoin and bitcoin based smart contracts.
This unique multi-sig smart contract based investment platform uses P2SH scripts on the litecoin and bitcoin blockchains that simulate investment contracts the way a gold ETF is a contract based on USD. Abra acts as the counter-party (i.e. the other signatory) to the P2SH scripts, and the company runs a market making operation that hedges away its counter party risk on these contracts.
Through the use of its stablecoin platform, Abra can quickly add additional cryptocurrencies to the app once they pass the platform’s rigid analysis around liquidity, contract market making and other factors. Additionally, consumers in any country will eventually be able to invest in other asset classes regardless of where the asset originated. This model can be extended to stocks, bonds, commodities and more with minimal to no changes to the existing Abra app. Finally, Abra can be used today to send money to any other Abra user or to any bitcoin wallet in addition to investing, allowing Abra to become a crypto bank.
Bill Barhydt, Founder & CEO of Abra, added
Our goal is to be a simple app for retail investors to get exposure to assets that are difficult to access. Ultimately, in addition to the top 20 cryptocurrencies and 50 fiats, we want to open up our platform to different asset classes including stocks, commodities and more. Our vision is to build a non-custodial cryptocurrency bank that democratizes access to financial services for every consumer on the planet.
About ABRA
Abra is the first and only all-in-one global app offering a true crypto to crypto exchange and digital wallet in one place – making cryptocurrency investing simple. Abra empowers consumers to buy, store, invest and hold 20 cryptocurrencies and 50 fiat currencies on a single app. Exchanges between multiple cryptocurrencies or fiat are quick, easy, and safe. Plus, with the Abra app, consumers can manage all crypto investments in one screen. Abra was founded in 2014 by Bill Barhydt, a veteran in the cryptocurrency space and an early Netscape employee. Abra app for Android can be downloaded from here and for iOS from here.