The UK Might See Its First Crypto Bank in 2020

Mark Hipperson, the former Head of Technology for the Barclays group, has announced his intention to release an innovative digital banking scheme. The project, tagged Ziglu, is slated to be released in the first quarter of 2020.

According to reports, the concept of the project is an all-digital banking account that will enable its users to hold different currencies, both fiat, and crypto, in a singular account.

Ease of Use and Added Benefits
Coupled with the ability to hold different currencies in one place, the account will also allow its users to freely trade their funds on the platform. Foreign currencies will be available for purchase and sale at standard rates, and cryptocurrency will be tradable at standard prices based on multiple exchange rates.

Additionally, based on the info from Ziglu’s website, funds kept on the account can be spent on any part of the planet through a MasterCard debit card. Crypt, on the other hand, can be converted quickly at POS terminals.

Availability is Restricted to the UK for Now
Hipperson became Chief Executive Officer of Ziglu in September 2018, and the firm has filed to become a licensed issuer of electronic money with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

Presently, a prototype account is in place for testing, however, its availability is restricted to only UK citizens for now. The management of Ziglu has reassured that soon enough, its services will be available to other countries.

Creating a Niche
Ziglu is not the first to offer multi-currency account services. In August 2019, Bitwala released an account that comes with a Bitcoin wallet. It recently just became Ethereum compatible.

It is also not the first to offer a crypto-based debit card. However, it will be a pioneer in offering a collection of several fiats, cryptocurrencies, along with the capacity to use any currency of choosing with a card as well as immediate conversion at any POS.