Crypto Wallet and Exchange App Abra enable users to connect accounts from "thousands" of US banks, the firm declared on Thursday. The new feature will allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies easily.
The bank is able to expand its features after integrating with Plaid, a fintech service which allows applications to connect with users' bank accounts using APIs.
Till now, the Abra users in the US and Europe possess an option to fund their wallets through a bank ACH transfer. With the latest feature, the users will have bank connected in-app for funding their purchases.
Bill Barhydt, who is the CEO of Abra stated,
"The addition of these new liquidity enhancements in our app gives users more ways to move between crypto and fiat."
Paul Williamson, Head of sales at Plaid said, "Consumers need to be able to invest their money wherever they choose, regardless of where they bank." He said that with the latest incorporation, the Abra expands the investment choices for users who have the bank with smaller institutions.
Apart from this, Abra also said in an announcement that it has extended the support for all the cryptocurrencies listed within its app. Earlier, Abra allowed withdrawal support for 4 currencies which include Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Ether (ETH).
Abra is mainly a non-custodial platform which doesn't collect, store or have access to the user's funds. On the contrary, the funds are kept in the Abra wallet which is available on the users' phone, thus making transactions highly secure and private. With the latest update, users have more options for storage, along with hardware wallets and different secure cold storage systems.
Willie Wang, Abra's VP of product, planning to add the crypto add support "in the near future." Especially, the firm enables global users to buy fractions of traditional instruments.
Earlier in February, Abra stated that it will use the bitcoin blockchain and smart contract technologies to aid fractional investments in both, stocks and exchange-traded funds. As of now, the app allows investments in 50 fiat currencies and 30 cryptocurrencies.