Coinzone

Coinzone was a European bitcoin payment solution provider founded in 2013 by Manuel Heilmann, Paul Sylling, and Alexandru Tarla. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with additional offices in Romania, the company focused on simplifying cryptocurrency transactions for the European market. Heilmann, who served as CEO, leveraged his background in e-commerce and sales to lead the company's growth, securing €2 million in venture capital funding.

The firm operated as a full-stack Bitcoin payment processor, enabling businesses to accept Bitcoin payments both online and at physical points of sale. Coinzone's target clients were primarily European merchants, ranging from small freelancers and brick-and-mortar stores to larger e-commerce platforms. The business model centered on providing a payment gateway that allowed merchants to accept bitcoin without exposure to volatility risk, by offering a guaranteed exchange rate. Key to its strategy was localization; the platform supported 11 languages and offered settlement in various local currencies, including Czech Koruna, through partnerships with local banks.

The service portfolio included online payment pages, mobile point-of-sale apps for iOS and Android, and integrations with major e-commerce shopping carts like Magento and Prestashop. A significant feature was the development of a web-based wallet designed to comply with European data privacy and security laws, storing user data in European data centers. In August 2015, Coinzone was acquired by its Danish competitor, Coinify. The acquisition was a strategic move by Coinify to consolidate the European bitcoin services market and expand its presence in countries where Coinzone had a strong foothold, such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Romania. The Coinzone management team remained for a transition period following the acquisition.

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