Purchasing bitcoin is also simpler than ever. However, be cautious about which platform you use since you do not necessarily own your purchasing bitcoin. Take PayPal as an example. Last year, the digital wallet firm made a major leap into a blockchain. Its app currently enables consumers in the United States to purchase, sell, carry, and utilize cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, and litecoin. Customers may also purchase and sell cryptocurrency from Venmo, a PayPal-owned mobile wallet. You don’t have to establish a special account to exchange for crypto coins, and you can pay up to $1. Doesn’t it sound fantastic? However, the coins you’re purchasing aren’t yours. According to Mike Bucella, general partner at BlockTower Capital, “PayPal handles the accounts, which ensures you don’t necessarily keep your bitcoin.”
Holding The Keys
When you buy bitcoin, you usually get two things: public and private key combination, which you can use to prove your possession. The public key is your wallet’s address, while the private key grants you access to it. You have keys to your public address through PayPal, but the corporation has the power of your private key.” Given that this is supposed to be an advantage you possess, it’s a strange weakness to have. Consider the custody agreement to be a sort of IOU for your bitcoin. Asheesh Birla, a general manager at Ripple, described it as “close to when you deposit U.S. dollars with Bank of America.”
“You placed your trust in Bank of America to bring your dollars into their bank accounts, and they give you an IOU.” Because of this, users will not be allowed to change their bitcoin to cold storage or transfer coins to a wallet beyond the PayPal framework. Although the user’s ability to access the asset is severely constrained, Bucella clarified that it makes complete sense for PayPal from a business standpoint. “It eliminates a couple of the possible Know-Your-Customer (KYC)/anti-money laundering (AML) problems that some of the bigger players have of handling wallet-to-wallet transactions that aren’t on their platform.”
Keeping Your Bitcoins Safe
Not everybody wants to be in control of their cryptocurrency holdings’ security. “If you’re new to crypto and don’t feel secure keeping your own private and public keys, delegating your access to PayPal may be a better option.” Also, start trading with cryptocurrency exchange.
Bucella tried out this program as soon as it was available on PayPal. “It has a pretty smooth user experience… It makes sense if I intend on doing nothing except purchasing and keeping bitcoin and don’t want to keep my crypto.” Self-custody advocates “are not going to use the facility,” according to Mati Greenspan, fund manager and creator of Quantum Economics. You accept a certain level of harm, as you will in every centralized trade. PayPal has a lengthy tradition of freezing customers’ accounts, much to the chagrin of others. Threats that may theoretically damage a whole network of users are often inevitably susceptible to centralized exchanges.
Mt. Gox, formerly the world’s largest bitcoin platform, was the first high-profile hack in the history of cryptocurrencies. The exchange announced default, losing 750,000 bitcoins from its clients and 100,000 own. Birla said, “There isn’t a single correct response here.” “It depends on the usage case and danger appetite,” says the expert.
Making a profit 
Buying bitcoin from PayPal has been likened to purchasing a financial contract. Since you can’t take your coins off the website or transfer them somewhere, it’s almost as though you’re purchasing a bitcoin derivative rather than the actual item. Last month, the price of bitcoin surpassed $63,000 for the first time, and some experts believe the blockchain still has a lot of space to rise. The impact of rising cryptocurrency prices on PayPal’s bottom line may be important. In a note to clients dated April 19, Deutsche Bank predicted that PayPal’s crypto trading value would hit $20 billion this year, bringing in an extra $350 million in sales. The corporation earns money by taking a share of each transaction through which fiat currency is traded for cryptocurrency and vice versa. Those costs will add up quickly. For purchases under $100, users incur a 2.3 percent fee.