Circle has announced the addition of four additional cryptocurrency assets onto its Circle Invest platform - Qtum, 0x, Stellar, and EOS. A total of 11 crypto assets are now available on the platform. “These new assets can be bought individually, or as part of our ‘Buy the Market’ feature which lets you buy a diversified crypto portfolio in a single tap,” an official company statement said.
EOS, 0x, Stellar, and Qtum are now available on Circle Invest! ? https://t.co/AyfUVPno3v
— Circle Invest (@circleinvest) September 20, 2018
Circle explained that the new assets were chosen on the basis of their “potential to contribute powerful infrastructure to the broader crypto ecosystem,” the statement went on to say. Circle has developed its own set of guidelines for listing Cryptocurrencies , which include criteria based on a coin’s technology, team, business model, and market dynamics.
Circle Adds ‘Explore’ Feature to Welcome New Investors
In addition to the new assets, Circle is also announcing the addition of its ‘Explore’ feature, which “will give contextual, relevant information on the various aspects of crypto.”
Circle is hoping that the ‘Explore’ feature will invite new groups of investors into the cryptocurrency markets, including women. “A lot of the apps that exist on the market are geared toward folks that understand the market already and unfortunately, that tends to be men,” said Divya Agarwalla, Circle’s head of product, to TechCrunch.
Indeed, many of the communities that fostered cryptocurrency in its earlier days were unwelcoming to women; global finance and technology fields are still largely dominated by men.
The inspiration for the feature reportedly came from the results of a study that revealed a significant lack of diversity among cryptocurrency users and investors.
SURVEY: Millennial women underrepresented in #crypto investing opportunity #cryptocurrency https://t.co/hEcGhXjJHy
— Circle Invest (@circleinvest) September 17, 2018
Circle Is Looking More and More Like Coinbase
It seems that Circle’s latest move further into the crypto space is an attempt to make its investment app more appealing than similar platforms, like Coinbase.
Like Circle, Coinbase’s app interface is a simple, user-friendly platform with a small number of intensely-vetted investment options. Also like Circle, Coinbase has published its own set of intensive criteria for choosing which coins it should be listing.
Circle does not seem to be intimidated by its competitor--rather, the company is making bold moves into what it believes is a market with high potential for growth. Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire said earlier this year that he believes that “all fiat currency will be crypto.”
“It seems inevitable at this point,” he said.
