Croatian supermarket chain has started accepting crypto payments

Croatia’s largest supermarket chain Konzum now accepts payments in cryptocurrencies. This week, the company announced that customers will be able to use digital currencies to buy food, household chemicals, some medicines and home products. According to company representatives, the supported cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, EOS, Ethereum, DAI, Tether, XRP and USD Coin.

In order to implement the new payment system, Konzum has signed a partnership agreement with the Electrocoin company, which has developed the PayCek service, allowing customers to make payments in digital currencies. Taking into account the high volatility of crypto assets, PayCek fixes the current cryptocurrency exchange rate at the beginning of the transaction, and then the buyer must complete the payment within 15 minutes.

Now Konzum accepts crypto only to pay for online orders, but in the near future the retailer plans to introduce this payment option for purchases in physical stores. The company has more than 700 stores, about 10,000 employees, and an almost 65-year history.

Uroš Kalinić, a member of the Konzum board of directors, said that the introduction of the cryptocurrency payments demonstrates the company’s willingness to follow global trends in the retail sector. According to him, the company will continue to implement modern technologies.

Crypro payments have become an increasingly common practice. In autumn, Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela provided the opportunity to pay for tickets and other services with cryptocurrencies. The largest US cinema chain AMC has also introduced a digital currency payment system.

In March of this year, Tesla made it available to use Bitcoin to buy its goods, but in May the company temporarily closed this service due to the fact that the mining of cryptocurrencies negatively affects the environment. In the summer, the US Congress passed a law obliging miners to use eco-friendly energy. The biggest breakthrough in the adoption of cryptocurrencies was made by El Salvador. In September, the country legalized Bitcoin.