Circle Gives First Look at iOS and Android Apps

Bitcoin company Circle gave a sneak peek of its mobile apps to those who attended the CoinScrum meetup in London yesterday.

Company CEO Jeremy Allaire explained to the 170-strong audience that the iOS and Android apps has just entered beta phase, before demonstrating how to use them to make a transaction – instantly sending bitcoin from one Circle account to another.

"We are working hard to provide a cross-platform experience that makes it easy for consumers to access bitcoin and experience the benefits of digital currency," said Allaire.

"We hope to add iOS and Android native apps to our product offering later this year," he added.

Launch imminent

Before the talk, Allaire told CoinDesk his company had received a great deal of positive feedback since launching its service in beta back in July.

He explained that users in 60 countries have tested the site so far, but he hopes to increase its reach even further when the service comes out of beta, which will be happening "very soon".

The company's aim is to bring bitcoin to the masses, offering a simple platform that enables people to store, send and receive bitcoin.

Currently, all users can top up their Circle bitcoin accounts using their credit and debit cards, but US users can also top up by linking their bank accounts. Allaire said the company is working to enable the latter feature for users in other countries too.

Spreading the word

Allaire is set to speak at the Sibos financial services conference, taking place in Boston, Massachusetts later this month.

Some 7,000 finance professionals are expected to attend the four-day event, which will feature around 100 speakers and nearly 200 exhibitors.

The conference, which is organised by global financial transaction network SWIFT, will feature a number of bitcoin-focused sessions.

Additionally, on Monday 29th September, one of the tracks at the conference will be dedicated solely to cryptocurrencies, with the schedule featuring discussions on regulation, the future of money, and the disruption of the traditional finance industry.

Allaire will take part in a session called 'Future of Money – The Rise of Cryptocurrencies' along with nine other speakers, including SWIFT CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt and Jon Matonis, executive director of the Bitcoin Foundation.