UPDATE (12th June 17:30 BST): A spokesperson from Google said: “We added a number of currencies to Google Finance, from the Icelandic króna to the East Caribbean dollar to Bitcoin. We’re always working to provide more of the financial data people are looking for.”
Google Finance has launched a bitcoin price tracker, offering market information across several major fiat currencies as well as access to breaking news in the digital currency world.
Users can access prices in BTC/USD markets, as well as prices in pound sterling, yen, euro, renminbi, Australian dollar and Canadian dollar markets.
The tool also enables review of historical prices dating back to June 2013.
The Google Finance bitcoin tool enables quick BTC-to-fiat conversions as well, allowing for calculations across dozens of currencies such as the Yemeni rial and the Bangladeshi taka.
The move comes hot on the heels of the Yahoo! Finance bitcoin price listing. In addition, Bloomberg opted to add bitcoin prices to its terminals in late April.
CoinDesk reached out to Google for comment on the decision, but did not receive an immediate response.
Simple design
The layout in Google Finance is simple, allowing for easy navigation without many bells and whistles.
Users can list multiple fiat currencies against the price of bitcoin, and the tool’s news tracker pegs the timing of news releases with the fluctuations in the market.
The tool bears many similarities to Yahoo! Finance’s tool, though it utilizes different layout schemes for graphs and news tickers. However, Yahoo! Finance does not offer bitcoin price conversions to other currencies.
Google strengthens ties with bitcoin
The new tool is perhaps the most direct integration with some aspects of bitcoin on Google’s part. In the past, members of Google’s leadership have intimated that, in time, the search giant will come to accept bitcoin in some capacity.
In March, Jared Cohen, Google’s director of ideas, remarked at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, that digital currencies are “inevitable”. At the same time, he speculated if bitcoin itself would prove to be the top digital currency or the blueprint for many to come.
On the technology side, bitcoin may find a place within Google’s sphere of influence via Google Glass.
Last month, a startup called Eaze announced Nod to Pay. This app allows wearers of Google Glass to make payments in bitcoin, with wallet support for Blockchain and Coinbase users.
Image via Google Finance