The app is powered by the Lightning Network and is on a mission to revolutionise the way billions of people transact across the world. It significantly reduces the merchant charges and transfer fees associated with digital payments, which often mean small purchases can be uneconomical and prohibitively expensive. Instead, Bottlepay users can transact with as little as a penny, or send funds where the recipients will receive 100% of the payment.

The European version of the app can be topped up with euros and used to buy bitcoin, as well as to make payments. With Bottlepay, you can buy bitcoin, spend it, or store it in the app like a wallet. Both the UK and European versions of the app can be used to make bitcoin payments anywhere in the world that accepts the cryptocurrency - that includes withdrawals from Crypto ATMs and online merchants.

The Bottlepay app already allows users in the UK to send and receive bitcoin or pounds sterling via Twitter, but now people in Europe can also send and receive euros or bitcoin via Twitter for the very first time. A single tweet — for example, ‘@bottlepay send @recipient €10’ will instantly send the command to move the specified quantity of euros from one account to another.

But it’s not just sending, Bottlepay also enables buying bitcoin with a single tweet, using the first ever Twitter trade bot. For example ‘@bottlepay buy €10 of BTC’ will instantly convert that amount of euros to bitcoin in your account.

In the coming weeks, the service will also be available on Reddit, Telegram, Discord and Twitch.
The app comes with a payment routing feature that allows users to select the currency which they would like to receive funds - bitcoin, euros or pound sterling. Another feature on the app also allows customers to monitor the live market price of bitcoin.
Pete Cheyne, Founder of Bottlepay, said: Bottlepay is attempting to rewrite the rules when it comes to cross-border transactions. Half a billion people across the UK and Europe can now make cost-effective, instant payments to each other with a payments app that’s built on top of the Bitcoin Network.

Until now, it has been difficult to understand the utility of bitcoin other than it being a store of value. By launching in Europe, we are demonstrating the power of bitcoin as an open-source monetary system. We have created a payment rail that can process cross border payments immediately, at a low cost. It’s a much-needed update on the clunky, outdated payment systems available up until now, and a leap towards better financial inclusion for everyone.”