If you're one of the millions of people who use Mint, you know the personal finance tool does an effective job at tracking your credit card spending, bank account balances and investment performance. But now Mint is adding support for another type of financial instrument: Bitcoin.
Coinbase shows up on the tool as a line item beneath your 401(k), IRA and related accounts, but it might disappoint Bitcoin purists — as it calculates your stash as dollars.
The deal brings Bitcoin one step closer to Wall Street as another project — a bid to create the first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund — steadily advances. Experts believe both will bring greater stability to the currency, making it a more viable platform.
Meanwhile, other countries have made warnings about the currency, or even issued outright bans against integrating it into the banking system. It's unclear whether these countries' regulatory authorities might reconsider their stance if Bitcoin becomes more widely accepted.