Ledger is the latest crypto company working on a debit card that connects directly with a crypto wallet. The company unveiled at its Ledger Op3n conference plans to launch its own debit card called the Crypto Life card.
While Ledger is better known for its hardware wallets, the company has been working hard on the software part called Ledger Live. From the Ledger Live app on desktop and mobile, users are not limited to sending and receiving crypto assets.
They can also buy and sell crypto assets with integrations with third-party companies. Ledger Live also supports staking and swaps through various partners, such as Changelly, Wyre, ParaSwap and 1inch. Everything remains integrated with the hardware wallet for transaction confirmations.
Ledger’s debit card has been designed with Baanx and will be available in the U.K., France and Germany at some point during the first quarter of 2022. People based in the U.S. will be able to get a card in Q2 2022.
After receiving your card, you’ll be able to top it up from the Ledger Live app with BTC, ETH, USDT, EURT, USDC, XRP, BXX, BCH or LTC. When you use your card for a transaction, cryptocurrencies are instantly converted to the fiat amount at the time of purchase.
Cardholders will also be able to receive their paychecks into their card account directly. They’ll be able to convert a percentage of their paycheck into BTC and ETH every time they get paid.
Finally, Ledger users who want to keep most of their wealth in crypto assets will be able to open a line of credit to get cash on the card. For that feature, you have to deposit a certain cryptocurrency amount as collateral.
DeFi lending protocols are usually overcollateralized, which means that users have to borrow less than what they have in their crypto wallet. So it’s going to be interesting to see how the Ledger credit feature works when it ships.
Ledger will compete with debit cards from Coinbase, Bitpanda, Binance, Crypto.com, etc. But if you’re already using Ledger products, having a card that integrates well with the Ledger ecosystem could be particularly important when choosing a debit card.
Image Credits: Ledger