Walmart is partnering with Coinstar Kiosks which will allow customers to purchase bitcoins at certain Walmart stores. Coinstar Kiosks typically allow persons to trade in coins for paper money or gifts. The deal will allow Coinstar to install a sum total of 200 kiosks across the country.
Once a Walmart shopper makes a purchase on a Coinstar kiosk, they will be given a voucher which they could then redeem on Coinme. Coinme is a crypto wallet and exchange firm which is in partnership with Coinstar. Paper money is the only form of cash that is accepted at the moment and not US coins. Each bitcoin purchase comes with an 11% fee, 4% transaction fee, and 7% exchange fee.
As cryptocurrency continues to gain widespread adoption across the world, more companies will continue to slowly integrate cryptocurrency into their business. Consumers are waking up to the potential of the technology and backing it.
Recently Mastercard partnered with Bakkt to help bring cryptocurrency services to its customers. Bakkt is a digital assets platform that helps banks, merchants, and fintech companies deliver cryptocurrency solutions.
Financial companies that are not innovating will be left behind the curve of innovation, as the world continues to move ahead into a new era.