Welcome to the latest edition of the Cryptie, where we're buzzing with excitement over a month that's seen Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies reach new all-time highs. This issue is packed with the latest updates from the cryptocurrency industry, including deep dives into the factors propelling these record-breaking price surges, insightful analyses on the rapidly evolving landscape of crypto payments, and the latest advancements from BitPay.

Let's dive into this month's highlights.

In This Issue:

Bitcoin (BTC) Hits New All-Time High

Bitcoin’s price achieved its new all-time high multiple times over the past week, peaking at a price of $73,750.77 on March 14th before retreating slightly. The previous all-time high was just shy of $67k in November 2021. During this run, the run up of BTC stalled out following the implosion of crypto exchange FTX.

BitPay in the News

Check out the latest news from BitPay this month:

Industry News

Read news from across the blockchain industry:

Best of BitPay Award 2023 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Best of BitPay 2023 Awards! Of the 136 merchants nominated across 14 countries, the crypto community chose these businesses as their favorite BitPay merchants in 18 different categories. Let’s give a round of applause to celebrate each organization's pioneering spirit and commitment to the world of cryptocurrency.

Product Focus: New Payment Experience and Supported Coins

BitPay has expanded its cryptocurrency payment options to include over 100 cryptocurrencies, covering over 90% of the total market cap, alongside enhancements like an upgraded invoice user interface and WalletConnect 2.0 integration, aiming to make crypto payments more accessible and convenient for both merchants and customers.

→ Read more about the update

Buy Gift Cards for the NCAA Basketball Tournament

Whether you’re looking for food for a crowd during a marathon triple-header, some freshly licensed gear to help cheer on your favorite team, or some college hoops video games to bring you further into the action, you can get it all with crypto-funded gift cards via BitPay. 

→ Learn More

Questions to Ask Your Payment Processor

Don’t risk partnering with the wrong crypto payments provider. Arm yourself with the right questions to ask when vetting potential partners.

Question #26: What is their standard payment processing rate?

Read the overview here or download our expanded guide of questions to help spot a reliable and trustworthy crypto partner.

→ Get the e-book

Bitcoin Halving Countdown: Less than 1 Month Away

The Bitcoin halving is slated to take place in April 2024. With the upcoming Bitcoin halving event, merchants have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the increased interest in Bitcoin spending. By accepting Bitcoin payments through BitPay, merchants can tap into a growing customer base and benefit from the potential surge in Bitcoin transactions. Don't miss out on this chance to stay ahead of the curve and sign up with BitPay today.

Word of the Month: Bitcoin Node

Bitcoin Nodes Demystified: How Nodes Contribute to Security and Decentralization of the Bitcoin Network

Bitcoin nodes are crucial components of the Bitcoin network, responsible for validating transactions and maintaining the network's integrity. They come in various types, including full, light, and mining nodes, each serving a unique role in the ecosystem. Individuals can run their own Bitcoin node, enhancing the network's privacy, security, and decentralization, with setup options available for all levels of technical expertise.

→ Learn more about Bitcoin nodes

Developer News

Major Releases

Major releases are now available for our merchants, including new language feature support, examples added to the codebase, exception alignment with the SDK, support for better custom loggers, and other general improvements to align with the API.

Patches

Upcoming Releases

  • PHP SDK v9.0.0
  • Node.js SDK v6.0.0
  • BitPay Checkout for WooCommerce Plugin v5.4.0

Payroll API

BitPay is phasing out our "Payroll" API endpoint, which has been replaced by the "Payouts" endpoint. If you use BitPay's payouts/send feature via an API integration, please make sure to check that you are using the correct endpoint. If you have any questions, please contact integrations@bitpay.com.

→ Learn More

Travel with Crypto

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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. Get great prices on all of your travel bookings and get the added benefit of paying straight from your cryptocurrency 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

Not a current BitPay merchant?

Get in touch with a BitPay representative today