Blockchain startup Circle announced that it has eliminated the ability for customers to buy and sell bitcoins directly on Circle in order to focus more on mobile payments. The company has introduced a new preferred bitcoin exchange partnership with bitcoin wallet and exchange company Coinbase.

Circle also stated that it is launching full messaging features in its app and higher deposit limits for customers and the introduction of ‘Spark’, a new blockchain-based protocol, in order to facilitate trusted and compliant money transfers between the institutions and the participating individuals over the bitcoin network, the release stated.

“Our vision has never been, let’s adopt a new currency. We want to realize overall consumer benefits without having to be a bitcoin buying-and-selling exchange,” Jeremy Allaire, the company’s chief executive, and co-founder said as reported by WSJ.

The new Circle messaging features will be available to customers on the web, iOS, and Android. The Circle Pay apps are organized and all payments to and from an individual will exist in an ongoing chat that is similar to Whatsapp, WeChat. There is a limit on the number of new customers who can deposit into their Circle accounts within a seven-day period.

On the other hand, Spark offers a way for digital wallets to exchange value using blockchains, including bitcoin, as settlement layers. The technology concentrates on connecting digital wallets around the world while ensuring that full KYC/AML and compliance requirements can be met. The company plans to release Spark as an open source project.

Along with the addition of new features, Circle also announced its collaboration with Korea’s Korbit and the Philippines’ Coins.ph. These two companies will connect to Circle through partnership and implementation of the Spark APIs. This collaboration will enable customers in the US, UK, and Europe to send and receive value with customers in Korea and Philippines with the speed, security and cost efficiency of distributed ledgers.

Circle’s partnership with Coinbase will enable customers to buy and sell bitcoin in the future, leveraging on Coinbase as it is Circle’s recommended consumer bitcoin exchange.

“Circle customers who currently hold bitcoin instead of US dollars, pound sterling, or Euros may convert instantly to any of those currencies (depending upon availability in the customer’s area). Customers who previously bought and sold bitcoin in the Circle apps, may still sell, if they choose by converting their bitcoin to dollars, euros, or sterling and then withdrawing the balance to their linked card or bank account. Once converted, the account will remain in dollars, Euros, or sterling,” the announcement stated.