Coinbase Launches Crypto Plugin for Popular E-Commerce Platform

U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase has announced a new service aimed at improving access to cryptocurrency payment options for e-commerce businesses.

According to a blog post published Thursday, Coinbase Commerce – the startup's non-custodial cryptocurrency payment solution for merchants – has now launched a plugin for popular e-commerce platform WooCommerce.

WooCommerce, going by figures cited by Coinbase, currently provides the payments system for more than 28 percent of all web stores. However, the BuiltWith currently estimates the figure is slightly lower, at 21 percent.

Even so, the addition of the plugin (available on GitHub) now makes cryptocurrency payments via Coinbase to a good chunk of the web's e-commerce sites. It should be noted there are other similar plugins already available, such as CryptoWoo.

Coinbase said in the post:

"This increased access will lead to more widespread adoption, and ultimately, moves us closer to our goal of an open financial system."

The blog post also revealed that Coinbase now offers the option of sending of bitcoin and litecoin directly from Coinbase Commerce, with ethereum and bitcoin cash also in the pipeline.

The news comes just days after Coinbase opened up its exchange service to U.K. customers using pounds Sterling. It will now offer same-day deposits and withdrawals using the country's Faster Payments system.

And on July 2, the firm launched Coinbase Custody, a crypto storage service aimed at institutional hedge funds and other clients who can deposit holdings at a minimum of $10 million.

E-commerce image via Shutterstock