easyGroup, the parent company of easyJet and easyHotel, has launched a Bitcoin app to allow customers to buy and earn the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
Announced on September 9, easyBitcoin is the company’s first foray into crypto and is a vote of confidence in what easyGroup has described as the “best-performing asset of the decade”.
Users of easyBitcoin will be able to benefit from creating an account by receiving a 1% welcome bonus for the first $5,000 monthly recurring purchases of Bitcoin. There is also a 2% Bitcoin reward for those who continue to buy and hold Bitcoin every three months.
Customers will also be able to earn 4.5% APY interest in Bitcoin for all their US-dollar denominated purchases of the asset.
Developed by multi-asset digital money platform Uphold, easyBitcoin will initially be rolled out to US customers, with a UK launch of the app expected later in 2025.
“For too long, investing in bitcoin has felt like an exclusive club, out of reach for the general public with very high transaction costs,” said Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder of easyGroup.
“With the easyBitcoin.app, we’re aiming to change that and provide simple access via your mobile phone, great value and a focus on earning bitcoin rewards whether you’re buying or simply holding bitcoin. This isn’t just about technology; it’s about financial empowerment and making bitcoin a practical investment option for all.”
A growing asset amongst consumers
easyGroup cited the recent performance of Bitcoin, reaching all-time high valuations of $100,000-plus, as well as its surge in value over the past decade, as a reason for the launch.
Bitcoin’s price in July 2015 was close to $265, according to Yahoo Finance, and easyGroup revealed that due to that price now worth more than $400,000 in today’s market, Bitcoin has become a better asset than the likes of gold, oil and other equities.
The company also highlighted that consumers are becoming increasingly interested in investing in Bitcoin. Research from Opinion Matters which easyGroup cited, revealed 88% of US respondents said they trust Bitcoin to grow their money over the next decade.
Further findings revealed 39% of respondents listed Bitcoin as their preferred investment choice, higher than gold (29%) and slightly below real estate (41%).
More than half of the people surveyed (57%) also stated they would prefer to place their money within Bitcoin over traditional savings accounts, with 61% admitting they would invest $10,000 in Bitcoin, and 64% believing Bitcoin to be an essential part of their investment portfolio.
“We believe that the combination of $2.5M of FDIC insurance on USD balances plus 4.5% interest, convertible instantly into bitcoin, is likely the most attractive, compelling and useful consumer product yet to emerge from crypto. We are thrilled to partner with the easyGroup to bring this to market,” said Simon McLoughlin, CEO of Uphold.
“After 16 years of market data, there’s now a real basis to the claim that bitcoin could be the best savings technology ever invented,” continued McLoughlin. “Today, it certainly deserves consideration in anyone’s investment portfolio.”
