February 21, 2025
Your February Newsletter for All Things BitPay and Crypto
The Important Bits
The new year is in full swing, and 2025 is already shaping up to be a defining year for crypto. From major regulatory shifts to Ethereum’s next big upgrade and the launch of Uniswap v4, the blockchain world is buzzing with activity. This month, we’re celebrating the best of BitPay merchants, highlighting new payment capabilities, and giving you the latest insights on crypto trends and industry updates. Let’s dive in!
Industry News & Headlines
Industry News
Read news from across the blockchain industry:
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Outlines 10 Priorities for Crypto Task Force: SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has introduced a set of 10 priorities aimed at fostering a balanced regulatory approach to cryptocurrency, emphasizing innovation and clear guidelines (CoinDesk).
Musk Reportedly Considers Blockchain for Tracking Federal Spending: Elon Musk is exploring the use of blockchain technology to enhance transparency and accountability in federal spending, signaling a potential shift in government financial oversight (PYMNTS).
MicroStrategy Rebrands as “Strategy” to Reinforce Bitcoin Commitment: MicroStrategy has rebranded as “Strategy,” doubling down on its Bitcoin-first approach and further aligning itself with the crypto economy (Yahoo Finance).
Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade to Begin Testnet Rollout: Ethereum’s next major upgrade, Pectra, is set for testing, introducing wallet experience improvements and increasing validator staking limits for the network (CoinDesk).
Uniswap v4 Goes Live: Uniswap v4 has officially launched, bringing significant gas fee reductions and new liquidity features to the decentralized exchange (Blockworks).
Market Movers
Crypto markets are always on the move—keep an eye on how popular coins and tokens are trending this month!
Voting Now Open for Best of BitPay Awards 2024
The Best of BitPay Awards are designed to recognize and celebrate the forward-thinking merchants who integrate crypto payments into their business operations. These innovators and pioneers are leading the way for cryptocurrency payments across all industries, from travel and fashion, to automotive and jewelry. Cast your vote and spread the word to celebrate your favorite merchants! Voting begins February 1st, 2025 and is open until February 28th. Simply select the name of your favorite merchants that accept crypto payments via BitPay. Each individual can vote once per day.
BitPay Product Updates
Product Focus: Pay on Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base L2 Networks
BitPay now supports payments on Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base, offering lower fees and faster transactions for crypto users. With this update, you can:
Pay with USDC, USDT, and Ethereum on these leading Layer 2 networks
Pay from practically any wallet that supports Optimism, Base, and Arbitrum
Enjoy reduced transaction costs and improved scalability
Tip of the Month: How to move assets from an exchange to a self-custody wallet
One of the biggest advantages of cryptocurrency is having control over your assets. Transferring crypto from a centralized exchange to a self-custody wallet allows you to manage your assets on your terms.
Questions to Ask Your Payment Processor: How many cryptocurrencies do they support?
Don’t risk partnering with the wrong crypto payments provider. Arm yourself with the right questions to ask when vetting potential partners.
→ Read the overview here or download our expanded guide of questions to help spot a reliable and trustworthy crypto partner.
Merchant Promotions & Deals
Merchant Spotlight: Corsair
We’re thrilled to announce Corsair as the newest merchant to accept cryptocurrency with BitPay! Corsair, the first French airline to embrace crypto payments, now offers a modern and flexible way to purchase plane tickets using Bitcoin, Ethereum, and over 100 other cryptocurrencies. Whether you’re booking an economy seat or traveling in luxury, Corsair’s integration of crypto ensures a seamless, secure, and innovative travel experience.
Promo: Earn 10-15% Crypto Cash Back with Stack Mobile
Tired of the same old, boring big wireless providers that offer no rewards or flexibility? So are we! Stack Mobile offers 10% Crypto Cashback on single plans and 15% on 2+ lines and family plans. Sign up and get your earned Stack Mobile rewards transferred directly to your digital wallet.
Merchant Shoutouts
Check out this month's merchant shoutouts:
Shop APMEX’s silver and gold popular categories, including pop culture collectibles. Shop now!
OneGold gives you direct ownership of vaulted gold, silver, and platinum at an ultra-low cost. Start your free account today.
Buy a domain name with Namecheap today!
Ready to start accepting crypto with your Shopify business? Get started today with the BitPay app!
Instantly deploy high-performance cloud servers, cloud GPUs, bare metal, and cloud storage worldwide with Vultr. New users receive $100 to test their platform.
Use BrandBucket to name your business.
Shop US stores and have your items reliably shipped back home with Qwintry
Travel with Crypto
BitPay Travel
BitPay Travel is now open to all! In collaboration with Xeni, BitPay Travel allows crypto users to pay for flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities with their cryptocurrency. Book your travel at great prices and pay straight from your cryptocurrency wallet.
Travel Survey
BitPay travelers, we want to hear from you!
Our partner, Vacation Genie, is asking the BitPay community to share views on travel-related cryptocurrency spending. Please take this survey, which will be used to inform crypto-enabled travel products.
Survey participants will be entered for a chance to win 1 LTC from Vacation Genie. Once survey entries are submitted, Travel Genie will select 10 winners and distribute the LTC.
Developer Notes
SDK Releases
eCommerce Plugin Releases
General Notes
Kiosk demos updated to support HMAC verification
Upcoming Releases
SDK updates to how webhooks are requested to be resent
BitPay Checkout for Magento 10.1.0: Adds the “Support Download” feature
BitPay Checkout for Magento 10.2.0: Adds support for the upcoming version of Magento for merchants testing the 2.4.8 betas
Note: All information herein is for educational purposes only, and shouldn't be interpreted as legal, tax, financial, investment or other advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement or offer to invest, buy, or sell any coins, tokens or other crypto assets. BitPay is not liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies. For legal, tax, investment or financial guidance, a professional should be consulted.
