In a Nutshell: For cryptocurrency investors, purchasing their digital assets is just one component of the process. Knowing how to safely store and access their funds is equally as important, and finding the right cryptocurrency wallet is key to this function. Guarda is an easy-to-use cryptocurrency wallet that lets users seamlessly operate on multiple platforms. The wallet works with 48 blockchains and thousands of tokens. And users can even use Guarda to buy, sell, and exchange crypto. The company keeps the user experience at the top of its priority list, with great attention given to customer service and keeping user data safe.
The learning curve was fairly steep when I made my first cryptocurrency investments a few years ago, as I imagine it was for a number of folks like me who were entering the world of decentralized digital assets for the first time.
Thankfully — steep as it may have been — it didn’t take long to get up to speed on the basics of how the cryptocurrency ecosystem works. But one of the major questions you have to ask yourself when investing in crypto is how you plan to store your digital funds.
Storing cryptocurrency is not the same as holding fiat currency in a bank account or holding stock in a company fund. As a currency that literally only exists in the digital world, cryptocurrency is often squarely in the sights of hackers and thieves and should be protected accordingly.
Digital currency holders store their assets in cryptocurrency wallets and today, there is a wide range of options available to anyone. Just two years ago, however, the options were much more sparse.
But following its launch in 2017, Guarda quickly emerged as a popular wallet among crypto holders for its usability and security. Today, the wallet’s reputation still holds strong as it continues to evolve right alongside the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
“We started out as a single currency app,” said Maria Carola, Guarda’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Back in the day, multi-currency wallets weren’t exactly a thing yet. Initially, the demand was for a wallet that would be easy to use with a simple interface. The ones that existed at the time were a little bit hard to operate with.”
In its current version, Guarda allows users to buy, sell, exchange, or stake coins all in one secure, non-custodial, multiplatform wallet — a versatile product suited for the ever-changing cryptocurrency landscape.
“If you store your cryptocurrencies on an exchange, you’re basically willingly giving out your data,” Carola said. “They store your private keys for you, so they work as a bank, and they transact on your behalf.”
On the other hand, non-custodial cryptocurrency wallets — such as Guarda — allow the crypto owner to be the only person in charge of their assets.
Maria Carola is the Chief Marketing Officer at Guarda.
“Nothing gets hacked, your information cannot leak, and nobody has the right to operate your funds (with non-custodial wallets),” Carola said. “So, Guarda started with this idea, as a single-currency wallet.”
She said ever since its launch however, the app has continued to evolve by reacting to whatever was going on in the cryptocurrency market and striving to meet the demands of specific features people were interested in. Thanks to market demands, wallets look completely different than they did just a few years ago, she added.
“Now, Guarda interfaces with many, many functions, currencies, platforms, and integrations — it’s insane,” Carola said. “We support 48 blockchains now and thousands of cryptocurrencies. And we have web, desktop, and mobile platforms, and a Chrome extension.”
Yet, the platforms are all part of the same product. This means they all sync together and can even operate with external integrations, such as Ledger hardware wallets, for security junkies, she said.
Carola said Guarda essentially functions as an ecosystem for cryptocurrency management.
“Cryptocurrencies are things that don’t have borders, so when you have a multi-currency wallet you can operate many, many assets,” she said. “Wallets are really becoming like banks right now. So, with the functionality extending, it’s hopefully becoming easier than banking in some cases.”
Guarda’s extended functionality reaches far beyond the original wallet function of simply safeguarding crypto assets. With the multi-currency platform, users can now easily buy, sell, send, receive, and trade crypto.
“Guarda Wallet is bridging the gap between fiat and crypto,” according to the company website. “By integrating credit card processing solutions, we let our clients buy crypto with immediate and smooth services.”
The company’s crypto purchasing functionality is a result of its partnership with payment processor Simplex. Currently, Guarda users can purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Stellar Lumens, Tron, and Cosmos. Transactions are secure and take between 10 and 30 minutes.
Guarda’s cryptocurrency wallets function and sync across multiple platforms.
Carola explained that Guarda doesn’t execute the cryptocurrency operations itself but instead is a service provider. The purchase and exchange features are made possible through its partner companies, so the cryptocurrencies available to buy are a result of Simplex’s offerings.
In December, Guarda announced that it is joining the Foundation for Wallet Interoperability and will implement its FIO Protocol, which will improve wallet usability even more. It will also standardize transaction metadata across blockchains, according to a company announcement.
“The ultimate goal of any crypto-wallet is to make cryptocurrencies easy to use and secure. By joining FIO and adding functionality that makes the process painless, we are expecting a rise in crypto-adoption,” Carola said in the announcement.
Another component of the service that helps Guarda stand out in the wallet space is its feature that lets users generate their own token.
“The time of loyalty bonuses and cashback programmes is over. Tokens are the new black,” according to the Guarda website. “When used wisely, they will help you promote your business and increase profit.”
The company provides an easy-to-use interface, a promotional package, and full tech support for users who want to generate tokens.
“With Guarda, you always know you are in good hands — our team comprises highly trained specialists in the IT, FinTech, security, marketing, design and UI/UX,” according to the company. “The thing that unites us is the love for the blockchain technologies, tight connections with crypto communities, and the goal to offer the most technologically advanced products currently on the market.”
These attributes translate to the company’s top-level security practices, attentive customer service, and placing great value on feedback from the crypto community.
“We offer a customer support line where, if you have a question or stumbled upon something that you don’t understand, you can go there first,” Carola said. “For us, it’s important to not only answer quickly but to be empathetic and make sure we understand the problem and address it appropriately for each case.”
She said the customer support team understands that customers may be confused or frustrated when they are seeking help and approaches each interaction with this in mind.
Keeping things simple and friendly is one major component of maintaining an effective customer support line, she said, and the other aspect is maintaining good internal communications with the team so issues can be addressed and fixed quickly and effectively.
And Guarda users’ security receives equal attention.
“Guarda always focuses on reliability and safety of our products, so top security notions are implemented in Guarda Web wallets,” according to the company. “All Guarda wallets are non-custodial and the user’s personal data or private keys are not stored by the company.”
Guarda was an early favorite among easy-to-use cryptocurrency wallets, and with its continually expanding features and functionality, along with positive user response, it seems the platform is poised to remain as a go-to wallet for crypto holders.