Coinbase has announced support for Apple Pay, enabling seamless
fiat-to-crypto conversions. For crypto and FinTech followers, this marks another
milestone in making digital assets more accessible. For Apple, it signals a
strategic pivot toward the growing market—one influenced by changing
political and regulatory winds in the United States and the potential arrival of Paul Atkins at the SEC.
Let’s dive into why this matters, how it fits into Apple’s evolving
stance on crypto, and what it might mean for the broader industry.
From Holdout to Hero: Apple’s Evolving Crypto Strategy
For years, the Cupertino company was the “crypto skeptic” of Silicon Valley. The tech
giant resisted embracing digital assets, while embracing other FinTech innovations, citing limited user value and
potential risks to its own Apple Pay and
App Store ecosystems. Adding crypto support seemed to stand in direct
opposition to their famously walled garden.
You can now buy crypto with Apple Pay for debit cards.Get onchain in seconds with one of the most popular payment methods and free USDC onramping. https://t.co/4vercISKBs
— Coinbase Wallet 🛡️ (@CoinbaseWallet) December 2, 2024
But times have changed. Apple Pay’s integration with crypto platform Coinbase is not an
isolated incident. Over the past year, Apple has begun playing nice with
others—think Klarna and Affirm showing up in Apple Wallet. The Coinbase
integration shows that the company is not just dabbling but actively exploring
opportunities in the crypto space, albeit in the most conservative way possible
and through Apple Pay. This shift is well-timed, aligning with the US’s more
digital-friendly administration.
Why Now? The SEC and Paul Atkins
The timing the tech giant’s shift toward crypto-friendliness is no
coincidence. The Biden administration’s regulatory headwinds for crypto have
been replaced with optimism under President Trump’s second term. A notable
development is likely appointment of Paul Atkins as the next SEC Chair—a figure
known for his pro-crypto stance and advocacy for reduced regulation.
🚨BREAKING: TRUMP NAMES CRYPTO CHAMPION PAUL ATKINS AS NEXT SEC CHAIRTrump has chosen Paul Atkins, a pro-crypto trailblazer, to lead the SEC—marking a massive win for the crypto industry.Atkins, known for his forward-thinking stance on digital assets, promises to deliver… https://t.co/jQTqwI6nQk pic.twitter.com/NhQP531wp2
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 3, 2024
This creates a favorable…
