Abra: A Global P2P Payment Solution

Abstract

This case focuses on Abra in March 2017, immediately following the launch of its smartphone app, which allowed for “peer-to-peer” transfer of money in 50 different currencies worldwide—often for cross-border remittances—by piggybacking upon the Bitcoin’s ecosystem. By using this app, customers could bypass the traditional but cumbersome multiple-step transfer of money—and relatively high handling fees—offered by banks and other financial institutions. Like similar “fin-tech” start-ups, Abra’s CEO, Bill Barhydt and his management team were now engaged in how they might be able to extend their “non-custodian” Bitcoin wallet platform to new markets and applications, taking advantage of new mobile technologies and changing consumer habits to further disrupt traditional banking services and products, But what is the probability of success for Abra and the associated risks of customer acceptance?