Google’s latest feature will now let crypto users explore wallet balances across various blockchain networks, including Bitcoin [BTC], Arbitrum [ARB], Avalanche [AVAX], Optimism [OP], Polygon [MATIC], and Fantom [FTX]. This functionality enables users to view their token wallet at a glance, with real-time updates. However, the last update timestamp would highlight the balance at the time of the last external transaction, and the updates are not instantaneous, as stated in its search results.
Balances show only the native token for each network. The last updated timestamp shows the balance as of the last external transaction. Updates are not instantaneous.
Still, the latest move by the search engine giant will be one step further than its previous support for Ethereum wallet balance searches and the recent addition of Ethereum Name Service [ENS] domain searches.
“It’s an open blockchain, tons of people use Google, so why not be able to see the balance of a wallet directly in Google search results? Lots of people will enjoy that.” wrote a user.
In response to the initiative, crypto proponents believed that this would democratize access to financial information and provide users with greater insight into their digital assets. Others highlighted the newfound accessibility and transparency facilitated by the search engine’s feature.
Google’s Updated Ads Policy and the Bitcoin ETF Buzz
In Jan, Google revised its crypto and related ads policy in December 2023, allowing the promotion of certain cryptocurrency products on prominent search engines in the United States, following the approval of the spot Bitcoin ETF on January 10. Even though Google’s reference to permissible products merely stated “cryptocurrency coin trusts,” market observers were buoyant about the potential windfall for Bitcoin ETFs, underscoring Google’s massive transaction processing capacity in searches close to 9 billion daily searches, as per recent data from DemandSage.
As reported by TronWeekly, the anticipation for the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs by the US SEC reached a fever pitch, as evidenced by the surge in Google searches related to this topic. In the week before the approval, Google searches for spot Bitcoin ETFs hit an all-time high. Additionally, a separate study analyzed over five years, revealed that retail investors in the United States are particularly interested in utilizing BTC through potential spot ETFs.