Hi everyone,
I help lead Coinbits, the oldest bitcoin-only exchange in the U.S. still in operation.
Coinbits got its start with offering Round Ups for bitcoin – link your cards and we'll round up your spare change and save it in bitcoin for you.
Now we offer instant buys, recurring buys, and we connect to hardware wallets like Foundation Passport for auto-withdrawals.
Our platform is all about encouraging low time preference and investing in your future. We've helped thousands of members get bitcoin, even back when it was cheap! It feels great to think about how many people have built bitcoin wealth with our software.
Find Coinbits at https://coinbits.app
Follow me on X at @contrarymo
Do you think Lyn Alden is hot?
Haha. If being ‘hot’ means having an unbeatable grasp of macroeconomics and bitcoin, then Lyn Alden’s basically on fire.
She also has two ears believe it or not
What's the most surprising thing you've learned working at Coinbits?
How interest in bitcoin seems to almost disappear when the price is down, and then when it gets expensive how people pile into it. I know this is well known but seeing it firsthand, and having to run a business through the doldrums of the extended bear market and then welcoming new people in during the bull run was quite the experience.
Do you use your own app to buy bitcoin?
Of course!
But doesn't that mean you are buying bitcoin from yourself? 🤔
Or I guess only if it's a market order?
I think I have a lot of fundamental misunderstandings about how exchanges work or what it means to run one.
We don't provide bitcoin liquidity directly – we are not an OTC desk.
What would be your elevator pitch for what sets Coinbits apart from the other Bitcoin stacking platforms?
If you subscribe to Coinbits Plus for $10, you get bitcoin at extremely competitive prices, usually this is a great deal if you are stacking large amounts.
Spending Insights help you spend your money more wisely and stack more sats.
Round Ups make it easy and fun to stack by taxing your high time preference spending.
We are a family run business and have never taken VC money – we are building Coinbits the right way to prepare for a bright orange future!
Bitcoin is bitcoin – you can get it many places. Our UX is second to none and we have a strong community – check us out and see what you think!
Biggest goal for Coinbits in 2025?
I should add -- MOBILE APP!
Build out financial features to allow the Coinbits team to finally close our regular bank accounts and just use CB for everything :D
What's something you believe about bitcoin that few bitcoiners agree with you on?
In order for bitcoin to change the world radically for the better, it is not necessary for all individuals to be able to own a UTXO.
Today I shared a link from river with 11 questions. I'd like you to answer them. Thanks!
What can't these young exchanges appreciate that you all do, having been in the game this long?
Differentiation! You can get bitcoin anywhere. It takes a special something, whether that be design taste, education resources, great support, fun features – something that entices people to give you a try.
Who is the smartest person you've ever met?
Two luminaries that I admire and had the privilege to get to know are A. Michael Noll and Bill Verplank ❤️
Welcome. Thanks for joining us.
What is the toughest thing about running a bitcoin centric company?
Good question. It can be challenging to manage the day to day of a fintech, which includes compliance and support, alongside thinking about growth and product. It's the kind of business that you should not get into unless you really feel strongly about the mission – being able to wake up every day and truly believe that our talents are helping set up people's lives for the long term is very motivating and helps offset the challenges!
Great insights. Thanks
Why no native app at launch?
When we launched back in 2018 we were desktop browser focused, and have just evolved from there. Now that we have a really good mobile app it's been tough to convince ourselves that a native app is worth the time investment, which would be substantial. But we do have it on the roadmap and will likely get started on that soon.
Do you do withdrawal in other fiat currencies than dollars as well?
Today we are U.S. only but we plan to expand internationally next year!
Thanks.
What is one misconception about Bitcoin that you wish more people understood?
Unit bias is real! It's crazy how powerful it is. So many people are missing out on bitcoin because one BTC is so expensive. There's been some good discussion about this on X lately. I do not have a great answer for how to solve this but it's a real problem.
We offer Sats Mode on Coinbits and we notice many of our members prefer to use it. Hopefully that helps at least a little bit.
If there were no technical or regulatory limitations, what would be your dream feature for Coinbits?
There are a lot of opportunities to allow groups of people and communities to self-organize around capital pools and loans, but they are mostly restricted from doing so. It would be great to empower people to find the best, highest use of any money they have sitting around – it would unlock so much productivity and growth.
what's the public personality out there that isn't involved in crypto for a living, that you think gets Bitcoin the most?
Donald Trump? 😂
As someone deeply involved in the Bitcoin ecosystem, what personal philosophies or principles guide your approach to product development and user advocacy at Coinbits?
One of our guiding product principles we call "responsible gamification". Everyone knows that creating addictive experiences with gaming elements has developed into a science. It's up to us as product designers to decide WHY to use these powerful tools – to help people better themselves. Stacking bitcoin is like gamifying fitness apps – they help people live up to their own standards and aspirations. As a designer, I would regret creating experiences that were highly engaging but that users felt negatively about how much time they spent with them.
I love the "hands-off" aspect of the automatic round-ups. How have you felt this mentally helps you stack, since you don't have to think about it? Have you heard any good stories from customers on how they feel more mentally "free" from never having to stress about the price/markets while they accumulate?
We have talked to several users who think about stacking bitcoin every time they run their card – like accumulating airline miles back in the day, it makes spending fiat less painful because you know you're stacking a little bit of bitcoin each time. Usually our members prefer to also set up a Saving Habit so that they have a consistent recurring buy while they also use Round Ups for a gamified element.
Any plans of expanding outside of the U.S.? I imagine it's always a gymnastics-fest working around regulations and whatnot, curious of how the progress is looking there
Yes we do – but you're right that it can be a challenge. We have a couple of irons in the fire and hope to have news soon on that front.
You mentioned
What are some of your favorite ways that you've seen exchanges acquire and retain customers?
I’ve heard of you guys from Saef. May need to look into becoming a customer. What excites you most about your product over the next year?
We have a really exciting roadmap – check it out here. You can vote for your favorite ideas, or even submit your own. https://coinbits.productlane.com/roadmap
Sweet, love the idea. On it!
Revolut already does this for me. Why would I want a separate app for it, that isn't my main banking app?
Put differently, what is your business moat when banks/fintechs incorporating your main service would improve on your offering?
We are bitcoin first – and we prioritize features to help people benefit from bitcoin, which means self sovereignty and flexibility. Revolut is a great app too.
Why do you have all normie socials and no Nostr page? 🚩
That's a good question – the main reason is simply that we don't have the marketing bandwidth. We have found that our brand resonates with people who are new to bitcoin, so we are investing more marketing energy in reaching normies than we are to maximizing our exposure to hard core bitcoiners. That said, I expect we'll be doing more with Nostr in 2025. 👀
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