Valora to deploy bitcoin kiosks at convenience stores in Switzerland
The company has partnered with Start2Coin to let customers operate using cryptocurrencies through the tech firm’s wallet.
Valora has announced the deployment of bitcoin ATMs at its k kiosk, Press & Books and avec stores. The group has partnered with Start2Coin to let customers use and buy cryptocurrencies through the company’s wallet, further expanding the range of services offered at its Swiss retail network.
This new offering is different from the bitcoin vouchers that have been available from Valora since April of 2021, where the money loaded online has to be converted into bitcoins first. Start2Coin’s wallet is a small plastic card with a memory chip that costs 29.90 Swiss francs and can be re-reused an unlimited number of times.
Bitcoins worth up to 1,000 Swiss francs can be loaded every 30 days per card, with a maximum of two transactions of 500 Swiss francs each. Customers need an NFC-enabled smartphone and the app from software developer Tangem to pay and transfer bitcoins with no need to register or provide any data. The cryptocurrencies are saved in the app via the wallet topped up at the sales outlet.
Start2Coin is backed by Sweepay AG, a financial intermediary based in Switzerland. Valora is currently rolling out this service step-by-step to around 950 k kiosk, Press & Books and avec sales outlets throughout the country.
The sales outlets of the group have evolved by adding several different services to its points of sale. The latest additions include renting umbrellas and Chimpy power banks charged with solar electricity as well as new payment and pick-up/drop-off options.
