Easygroup launches easybitcoin.app to let U.S. users buy and earn bitcoin

Easygroup, the holding company behind the "Easy" brand founded by Sir Stelios Haji‑Ioannou, on Friday launched a mobile app that it says will make buying, holding and selling bitcoin simpler and more rewarding for retail customers.

The easybitcoin.app, currently available only in the United States, allows users to buy, hold and sell bitcoin and to earn rewards on balances. The platform is built on infrastructure from Uphold, an on‑chain finance provider, and is scheduled to expand to the U.K. later this year, Easygroup said.

Easygroup said the app targets consumers who find existing crypto platforms complex. Company research cited in the launch material said 49% of Americans view bitcoin as difficult to buy, hold and sell. "For too long, investing in bitcoin has felt like an exclusive club, out of reach for the general public with very high transaction costs," Haji‑Ioannou said. "With the easybitcoin.app, we're aiming to change that and provide simple access via your mobile phone, great value and a focus on earning bitcoin rewards whether you're buying or simply holding bitcoin."

The app offers a range of promotional and ongoing reward features. New users setting up recurring buys — automated purchases that can be scheduled daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly to smooth volatility — receive a one percent welcome bonus on the first $5,000 of recurring buys each month. Users who maintain a recurring buy for three months will receive an additional two percent reward on all their bitcoin holdings in the app, and may earn up to $50 in bonus rewards in the first three months for having a recurring buy in place.

Uphold's chief executive, Simon McLoughlin, said the rewards structure is intended to attract people aware of bitcoin but who have yet to invest. Easygroup also said it will pay 4.5% interest on all U.S. dollar balances held on the platform, with the interest disbursed in bitcoin. Balances under $10 will attract a two percent rate. The company said bitcoin interest can be converted to U.S. dollars.

Easygroup's launch statement said customer balances in the U.S. will be protected up to $2.5 million under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; the company did not provide further detail on how the protection is structured. Easygroup also referenced the U.K. Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which protects up to £85,000, but said it is unclear whether FSCS protections will apply to cash held in U.K. accounts when the platform launches there.

The move follows Easygroup research showing rising retail interest in cryptocurrency. The company said 88% of Americans surveyed expect bitcoin to grow their money over the next decade, and that more than seven million Britons already hold some form of cryptocurrency. In Easygroup's U.K. polling, bitcoin ranked among the top three investment choices for 39% of respondents, making it more popular than gold, and 57% said they would rather invest in bitcoin than place funds into traditional savings accounts.

Easygroup, which licenses the Easy brand to businesses including EasyJet, has been expanding its brand into financial products in recent years. The firm framed easybitcoin.app as an effort to broaden access to bitcoin through lower transaction costs and rewards rather than advanced trading features designed for sophisticated traders.

The app launch comes amid heightened regulatory attention on cryptocurrencies globally and growing competition among retail crypto platforms to combine ease of use with promotional rates. Easygroup and Uphold did not disclose specific user limits, fee schedules beyond the promotional rates, or the custodial arrangements underpinning FDIC or FSCS protections in their launch statements. The companies said more details about fees and broader availability would be released ahead of the U.K. rollout.