Square Inc., the mobile payments company behind the popular Cash App, is strongly considering developing an open-source Bitcoin (BTC) wallet, signaling continued conviction in the future of digital currency payments.
“Square is considering making a hardware wallet for Bitcoin,” CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted Friday. “If we do it, we would build it entirely in the open, from software to hardware design, and in collaboration with the community.”
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Dorsey outlined his rationale for a new Bitcoin hardware wallet in a series of posts, where he reiterated the importance of self-custody and the need to create a seamless mobile experience for crypto users. In Dorsey’s view, “assisted self-custody” can greatly simplify the experience of managing one’s own crypto wallet:
“Custody doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. We can probably simplify custody through “assisted self-custody.” Assisted requires great product design: minimal setup time, relying on existing devices, and end-to-end reliability.”
While self-custody is important, Dorsey said a confluence of forces are needed to attract new users to Bitcoin. “Layer 2 is essential for growth,” he said, adding:
“The orders-of-magnitude growth we imagine requires a mix of custodial, off-chain, and second layer solutions that allow people to ‘get off of 0.’ What tech investments can enable seamless, scalable, L2 native support for a hardware wallet?”
Square is one of the largest corporate holders of BItcoin, with 8,027 BTC on its balance sheet. Its holdings are currently worth $297 million based on current prices. Square’s Cash App is generating the bulk of its revenue from Bitcoin sales, highlighting growing retail interest in the digital asset class.
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