Square Crypto, the digital currency arm of the payments company headed by Bitcoin bull, Jack Dorsey, has announced the award of a grant to Maggie Valentine, a designer who is attempting to make Bitcoin wallets more user-friendly. Valentine states on her LinkedIn page that she is “passionate about bringing inclusive design to the blockchain space.”
The grant, which was announced on Friday, is reportedly one in a series of ‘Open Dimes and Square Crypto grants’ that will be handed out this year to improve the Bitcoin ecosystem.
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According to Square, Valentine’s grant will be used to address one of Bitcoin’s age-old questions: how to design cryptocurrency custody that is both easy-to-use and secure. Indeed, “how can we provide an intuitive experience for non-crypto users while preserving the security of a user’s funds?” Valentine wrote in her grant proposal to Square.
Giving trick-or-treaters Open Dimes and Square Crypto grants this year. Speaking of which, this one goes to Maggie Valentine (@magglevalentine), a designer working to simplify wallet onboarding flows by reducing technical jargon and increasing user education.
— Square Crypto (@sqcrypto) October 30, 2020
However, what may have begun for Dorsey as a personal conviction seems to have officially spread into Square’s mission as a company. Square announced last month that it would be investing $50 million into Bitcoin, representing 1% of the company’s total assets.
“We believe that bitcoin has the potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future,” said Square chief financial officer, Amrita Ahuja at the time that the investment was made. “For a company that is building products based on a more inclusive future, this investment is a step on that journey.”