Spar supermarket pops up on Bitcoin map in Switzerland, becomes mainstream payment option

A branch of the international grocery store chain Spar in Zug, Switzerland, now accepts Bitcoin for payments. The news broke after the Spar supermarket became visible on the BTC map, a community-driven project that shows businesses accepting cryptocurrencies.

According to Swiss crypto payments solution firm DFX.swiss , which was responsible for the integration, the Spar store is one of the first supermarkets in the country to accept Bitcoin for payments through Lightning.

The firm shared the development on LinkedIn. It said:

“This SPAR location is among the first supermarkets in Switzerland where you can pay directly at the checkout using Bitcoin (via LNURL), thanks to our new #OpenCryptoPay solution – an open P2P standard for in-person crypto payments.”

While the Zug-based Spar store might be one of the first supermarkets, according to BTC Map data, over 1,000 businesses in Switzerland already accept Bitcoin. The map shows that 1,031 businesses, including restaurants, stores, cafes, galleries, and boutiques, all accept Bitcoin as a means of payment.

DFX.swiss OpenCrypto is a peer-to-peer open-license crypto payment solution compatible with P2P payments for all blockchain networks and cryptocurrencies. It allows merchants to accept crypto with their existing payment hardware or the OpenCrypto app, with customers only required to scan the business QR code to initiate payments.

Interestingly, some users are already trying the Spar supermarket Bitcoin payment option. Bitcoin Association Switzerland director, Rahim Taghizadegan , shared a video of himself using it. Taghzadegan added that he used the Phoenix Wallet for LN, but almost every wallet works.

Global adoption of Bitcoin payments could grow through supermarkets

Meanwhile, the Spar store in Switzerland is not the first Spar location to adopt Bitcoin and is unlikely to be the last. Another Spar store in Arnhem, the Netherlands, has accepted BTC since 2014. With the superstore chain having almost 14,000 stores across 48 countries and almost 15 million daily customers, more branches could soon add a Bitcoin payment option.

Interestingly, other supermarkets and grocery stores globally are also accepting Bitcoin already. These include US coffee chain Starbucks, grocery superstore Whole Foods, and South African supermarket Pick n Pay. Other businesses such as Microsoft, Home Depot, Burger King, and Chipotle also accept BTC directly or through third parties.

Many believe that stores accepting BTC as payment for everyday purchases signifies adoption, given that this was part of the original purpose of creating Bitcoin. This brings to mind the story of Bitcoin Pizza, which remains one of the most popular stories about Bitcoin’s use for payments.

However, some consider this unnecessary, noting that no one would want to sell their Bitcoin for groceries given its long-term potential. This view perhaps captures how investors’ perception has shifted from seeing Bitcoin as an alternative currency to an investment asset and store of value.

Bitcoin maintains $84k as BlackRock shores up demand

While Bitcoin adoption continues to grow among institutions and for retail payments, the flagship asset has maintained its price at $84,000 for most of the past five days. Its stability over that period is mostly due to the return of relative calm to the market after the tariff wars of the first two weeks of April.

Although the US and China remain locked in an international trade war, the US decision to pause retaliatory tariffs against other countries and exempt products from the triple-digit percentage tariffs against China has helped restore investors’ confidence.

Bitcoin ETFs Year-to-date Bitcoin holdings (Source: Julio Moreno)

However, confidence might not be fully back, especially as Bitcoin exchange-traded funds continue to see outflows. BlackRock IBIT is the only one with significant inflows year-to-date. CryptoQuant Head of Research Julio Moreno noted that this is affecting demand growth.

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