Square Bitcoin: Making Crypto Payments a Reality for Local Business Owners

The cryptocurrency payment landscape is shifting rapidly. According to market forecasts, US crypto payment users are projected to surge by 82% between 2024 and 2026, signaling mainstream adoption is accelerating. Square is capitalizing on this momentum with an ambitious move: Square Bitcoin, a fully integrated solution that enables small business owners to accept, convert, and manage bitcoin directly from their existing payment infrastructure.

What Makes Square Bitcoin Different

Square has eliminated the friction that typically surrounds cryptocurrency adoption for small businesses. The platform launches with three interconnected features:

Bitcoin Payments lets merchants accept crypto at point-of-sale with zero processing fees through 2026 (switching to 1% thereafter). This removes a major barrier—merchants keep their full earnings and can choose whether to hold bitcoin or convert to USD instantly.

Bitcoin Conversions takes a passive approach to portfolio diversification. Business owners can automatically route up to 50% of daily card sales into bitcoin, building long-term reserves without additional effort. Real-world results speak volumes: sellers who tested this feature between 2024 and October 2025 have accumulated 142 bitcoin.

Bitcoin Wallet integrates directly into Square’s dashboard, letting entrepreneurs manage their cryptocurrency holdings alongside traditional business finances—no separate accounts, no complex interfaces.

A Merchant’s Perspective: Real Results

Joe Carlo, owner of Pink Owl Coffee, has been using Square’s Bitcoin Conversions in beta. Over two years, his strategy of funneling a portion of daily sales into bitcoin created a substantial financial reserve—all managed through the same dashboard where he processes transactions, handles payroll, and tracks inventory. Now with Bitcoin Payments live, Carlo can serve customers who prefer crypto while simultaneously building his bitcoin education credentials within his community.

This model appeals to a specific merchant archetype: owner-operators who want diversification without complexity, who value independence from traditional banking, and who see bitcoin as a legitimate store of value.

Block’s Broader Bitcoin Strategy

Square Bitcoin doesn’t exist in isolation. Block, the parent company, has been advancing bitcoin innovation for over a decade through multiple initiatives:

• Cash App users can buy, sell, and transfer bitcoin
• Bitkey provides self-custody wallet solutions
• Proto offers bitcoin mining tools and services
• Spiral funds open-source projects advancing bitcoin’s economic utility

Miles Suter, Head of Bitcoin Product at Block, framed the announcement clearly: “We’re making bitcoin payments as seamless as card payments while giving small businesses access to financial management tools that, until now, have been exclusive to the largest corporations.”

Market Timing and Availability

Bitcoin Conversions are available immediately to eligible US-based sellers. Bitcoin Payments launch November 10, 2025. The feature rollout is subject to regulatory approval and is not currently available in New York State or outside the US.

The Bigger Picture

What Square is building addresses two critical pain points: ensuring merchants never miss a sale opportunity, and democratizing financial management tools once reserved for enterprise-level companies. By positioning itself on “both sides of the counter”—through Square for merchants and Cash App for consumers—Block is uniquely positioned to normalize bitcoin as everyday money rather than pure speculation.

The 82% projected growth in crypto payment users suggests the market is ready. Whether Square Bitcoin becomes the default for small business bitcoin adoption depends on execution and regulatory clarity in the coming months.