BitPay announces new larger European headquarters in Amsterdam

Bitcoin payment processor BitPay announced today that it had moved its Amsterdam office, which serves as its European headquarters, into a larger office in the Dutch capital to meet the significant rise in demand. In a news release sent to CoinReport, BitPay reports that over the past three months, more than 2,500 merchants have registered with the company, bringing the number of European merchants to more than 11,000. BitPay notes that European merchants have processed more than 28 million euros in Bitcoin payments this year, compared to 1.4 million euros for the same months in 2013, representing a year-over-year growth of 1,900 percent. The European nations with the highest adoption rates are the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

BitPay’s new Amsterdam office is located at Herengracht 458 in the city’s Golden Bend. According to a company blog post, the new 2,500-square-feet headquarters includes room for 40 people and has an indefinite lease. The blog post shows pictures of the new headquarters, which “has been developed to reflect our company’s culture and includes open plan seating, collaborative meeting spaces, and a glass and steel meeting room with vintage banking furniture.” BitPay notes the 17th-century building complex is especially important to the company because it formerly served as the seat of power for the Deutsche Bank and similar trust and banking companies. “In the very place where bankers decided to charge small business the highest transactions fees,” says BitPay in the blog post, “we will work to offer all businesses a payment option without transaction fees.”

The headquarters also includes a dedicated Bitcoin working space. “Community members have been asking for an easier ways to reach our team, including an open and shared working environment for any and all people interested in bitcoin. With our new workspace, we are aiming to better connect with our community and help make getting started with BitPay, attending events, and learning about the future of finance more seamless,” states the blog post.

BitPay also announced it had brought in more expertise to its staff with Timo Dijkstra, a former senior compliace and risk consultant from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, as compliance specialist. The company has also recruited Water Drieëhuizen, formerly of DocData, and Niels Kersthholt, a three-time olympian, as sales associates, and Carla Jagger as office manager. Worldwide, BitPay has grown to 75 full-time staff members with five offices, the other four being in Atlanta, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and St. Petersburg.