This also generates some complications, since the wide range of proposals makes it every time more difficult to differentiate from competition. Even names are very similar in some cases.
In this framework, the landing in Buenos Aires of a platform that has some peculiarities that helps it to differentiate, since Break the digital economy paradigm and seeks to approach customers with resources from the analog culture: Localized with personalized attention, training courses and even camaraderie roasts!
This is the Spanish Bitbaseconsidered the first crypto exchange that operates in a way “Phygital” given that It has physical branches and ATMs that make it more similar to a traditional bank than a Fintech.
The brand emerged in Spain in 2017 with the intention of facilitating access to the cryptocurrency market to users of A PIE, who did not even know what these digital assets were.
And the chosen option was to build a network of physical premises, reinforced with ATMs, to Gain the trust of potential investors offering them something palpable and personalized attention.
Three years later, with the pandemic in between, Bitbase began its expansion in Spain began. Currently, It has 24 physical stores, 50 employees, a network of 135 ATMs of cryptocurrency and more than 35,000 active users. The Exchange closed the year 2024 with A turnover of more than 45 million euros.
When this point arrived, its founders decided go to the conquest of America. And they looked towards Argentina, because it is a country with a high level of cryptocurrency use compared to the rest of Latin America. Thus they found their half orange in Buenos Aires: the entrepreneur Nadia Karabinwho had decided invent your own business after a very intense experience in the corporate world through different areas of Quilmes brewery.
Karabin added another pair of partners (Marcelo Dvojak and Zeus Borrellen) to this venture to bring Bitbase to Argentina, which, which represented an investment approximately 500,000 euros which covered the tuning of the branch, the purchase of the ATM, professionals, hiring of employees, among other expenses. The physical place is in Callao, between Alvear and Posadaswhere the ideal user profile that they seek to capture circulates.
“Actually, when we associated ourselves in 2021, the first thing we did was open the company in Paraguay, where we had contacts and it was much easier than to do it in Argentina, especially because Here a very complex and closed economic situation was being lived For this type of proposals, ”he recalls Nadia KarabinDirector of Bitbase for Argentina and Paraguay, in an interview with Scope.
Journalist: Why do they bet on physical premises when the world of finance is increasingly inclined towards digital?
Nadia Karabin: Although the digital revolution has been transforming everything, people still need a physical reference. There is a transition to digital, but you still don’t have 100% of the migrated population. So, in that transition you have to give assistance, teach, educate. We made the arrival in Argentina very aware that this is what we have to do for the business to grow.
That is why we have an alliance with NGO Bitcoin to do training tasks in universities and schools throughout the country. Although this NGO is focused only on Bitcoin, we operate with more than 150 cryptocurrencies. On our side we also distribute a 10 -page PDF, prepared by our specialist Eliel Fabry, with a basic course for which he knows absolutely anything of cryptocurrencies. And we will start recording short videos that in two minutes explain the foundations of the crypto world.
Q: What is the client profile that is close to the premises?
NK: They are mainly people in the neighborhood, who is over 40 years old and economic capacity to invest. They are people who are very interested in understanding cryptocurrencies, and who do not want to improvise how it sometimes happens with the youngest segment. And it comes to the premises because it receives advice, it makes its operation and always takes a new data or information that is interesting.
Now we are going to organize some activities to gather customers who approached and give them informative talks about cryptocurrencies. We are looking for places. We already made contact with the Jockey Club. And also with other options. We are thinking of inviting them to a roast, so that the faces are seen.
Q: And what will the ATM network be like?
NK: We install the first at this branch, but at the moment it only allows you to buy crypts. It can be operated with pesos or dollars. Soon we are going to add other ATMs in which crypto can be sold and get effective. That is done now at the counter. The idea is to distribute them this year in different key places of the city of Buenos Aires, and also in Córdoba, which is our next objective. Some developers interested in having our ATMs in their projects have already approached, both in Capital and in the province of Buenos Aires, in cities such as Luján and Mar del Plata.
Q: What other countries are in the region?
NK: In addition to Argentina and Paraguay, we have offices in Panama and Costa Rica. And now we are preparing the opening in Bolivia, which is a country that has a reality very similar to that which Argentina lived with the restrictions to access the dollar, with even controls and many controls. As happened here, Bolivians are seeing that a simpler alternative to dollarize is through cryptocurrency investment. This is one of the reasons why Latin America access the crypto world. There are also those seeking trading to obtain a gain, or those who use them to be able to send money from one country to another with fewer costs and regulations.
Q: How do business evolution project in Argentina?
NK: Our main objective is to replicate the successful model implemented in Spain and achieve an approximate turnover of 20% of current billing in Spain in the first year of operations. We believe that in three years we will match operations in Spain. It seems to me that the differentials we offer will help us achieve this goal. In addition, it is important to note that we will be 100% regulated both in the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic and in the National Securities Commission and the Financial Investigation Unit. We also enter the Registry of Virtual Assets Services Suppliers.
Source: Ambito
