User:Zeusa915/Cash App

Cash App (formerly known as Square Cash) is a mobile payment service developed by Square, Inc. that allows users to transfer money to one another using a mobile phone app. The service is only available in the US and the UK. In September of 2021, the service reported 70 million annual transacting users and has generated $1.8 billion in gross profit.

History
Cash App was launched by Square, Inc. in October 15, 2013 under the name "Square Cash".

In March 2015, Square introduced Square Cash for businesses, which includes the ability for individuals, organizations, and business owners to use a unique username to send and receive money, known as a $Cashtag.

In January 2018, Cash App added support for bitcoin trading.

In October 2019, Cash App added support for stock trading to users in the United States.

In November 2020, Square announced it was acquiring Credit Karma Tax, a free do-it-yourself tax-filing service, for $50 million and would make it a part of its Cash App unit.

Banking
The app allows users to send, receive, and store money. Users can transfer money out of CashApp to any local bank account. The Cash Card is a black, customizable debit card that allows users to spend their money at various retailers and withdraw cash from an ATM.

When signing up for the Cash Card, users are asked to sign their name on the mobile app. This signature will then be printed into the card and sent to the user.

As of March 7, 2018, the Cash App supports automated clearing house (ACH) direct deposits.

Peer-to-Peer Money Transfer
Users can request and transfer money to other Cash App accounts via Cash App or email. Users also have unique usernames known as $cashtags. Users can transfer and request money by entering the usernames of counterparties.

Unverified accounts may only send $250/week and receive $1,000/month. In order to verify an account, a user must submit their legal name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their social security number. Verification raises the weekly sending limit to $7,500/week and completely removes the receiving limit.

Cryptocurrency
In 2018, the capability to buy and sell bitcoin was added to the app. Users can send bitcoin to each other using their $Cashtag. Users can also deposit bitcoin into the app from another source or withdraw their bitcoin to an external wallet. Unlike other exchanges, buying and selling bitcoin on Cash App is instant and does not require confirmation on the blockchain. Currently, Cash App only supports bitcoin and has not announced any plans to support other cryptocurrencies in the future.

Investing
In 2020, the capability to purchase stocks was added to the app to US residents only. Users can buy fractional shares of most publicly traded companies with as little as $1. Stock trading follows market hours of 9:30AM-4PM EST and can be managed from the app’s investing section.

Finances
As of November 1, 2021, Square has a market capitalization of $117.4 billion. As of 2020, two-thirds of Square's total valuation ($65 billion in 2020) comes from Cash App. It’s largest market competitor is Paypal, which owns Venmo. Smaller competitors include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Zelle.

Business Model
Cash App is free to download on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and other mobile store platforms. Historically, a free to download app has shown higher revenue and more users in the long run. Because the app is initially free, it incentivizes more users to create an account and use it’s services. If users want additional services other than a standard money transfer, Cash app charges small percentage fees and/or initial fixed costs to generate revenue.

Cash Apps’s primary revenue stream comes from users depositing funds into their bank accounts. Cash App provides two options to deposit money into a third party bank account; wait 3-5 business days, or instantly deposit with a 1.5% fee.

If users don’t have a direct deposit account with the app, they will be charged a $2 fee for withdrawing money from an ATM. Cash App also allows users to buy and sell bitcoin from their platform for a small service fee based on the current bitcoin market volatility. Businesses can also accept Cash App as a form of payment and charge a transaction cost of 2.75%.

Similar to banks, Cash App will loan out money from users accounts to other institutions. By doing so they charge interest and create revenue also known as money creation. In the case of a bank run, Cash App is required to hold 10% of the users accounts liquidity as part of the fractional-reserve banking.

Safety and Protection Policies
Cash app uses a combination of encryption and fraud detection technologies to help secure users' data and money. All data is encrypted and sent to Square’s secure servers regardless of the connection type (public and private WiFi and all forms of mobile data). If fraud is detected at any point during a transaction, Cash App will automatically cancel the transaction.

To further increase security, upon signing into an account, a user is sent a one-time use login code.

Cash App includes an option in its settings labeled Security Lock. This provides users an extra step of protection as it requires users to enter their password before completing the transaction.

Fraud & Illicit Activity
There has been a reported history of scams via Cash App. Common scams include customer support impersonation, fake offers and programs, flipping, and the selling of fake expensive items. Many of these scams are hard to dispute, offering little buyer protection in comparison to services like PayPal.

Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in use of payment apps, there has been an notable increase in reported scams. In one instance, a man was scammed out of $24,000 due to customer support impersonation. In another instance, a scammer used the public video of a female Waffle House worker holding a baby in a kitchen to fabricate an emotional story. The scammer used social media to share their Cash App information in hopes of receiving donations from unsuspecting victims that wanted to help out.

Cultural Impact
In 2018, Cash App surpassed Venmo in total downloads (33.5 million cumulative), becoming one of the most popular peer-to-peer payment platforms available.

Cash App is mentioned by about 200 hip-hop artists in their song lyrics, leading some to assert that it is now "ingrained in hip-hop culture," with its popularity stemming from African American communities in the Atlanta area. Some cite the early adoption of cryptocurrencies among members of the rap community as another reason for Cash App's cultural cachet. The popularity of the app in hip-hop is reflected in Square's partnerships with prominent rappers such as Travis Scott, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B.

Social media influencers frequently use Cash App to request donations from their followers. Every Friday since 2017, Twitter users retweet posts from the official Cash App account with the #SuperCashAppFriday hashtag to potentially win $10,000 to $50,000. These posts often receive lots of engagement and have shown to be an incredibly effective marketing strategy by Square.