Grupo Elektra Plans Bitcoin Lightning Network Support

Mexican financial and retailing corporation Grupo Elektra plans to enable support for the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

Billionaire owner Ricardo Salinas Pliego said that the new payment feature would come to Elektra’s stores “very soon.” With an estimated net worth of $15.4 billion, Mexico’s third-richest person has been a Bitcoin supporter for some time. Last year, he declared that he would put 10% of his portfolio into Bitcoin. Earlier this year, he announced that his Banco Azteca would become the first Mexican lender to accept Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, as Bitcoin’s main scaling solution, the Lightning network has seen increasing adoption over the past year. For instance, social media giant Twitter is reportedly testing a tipping feature powered by the technology.   

Growing Bitcoin payments

Meanwhile, besides the use of the Bitcoin Lightning network, the acceptance of cryptocurrencies as payment is also growing. For example, last week Belgian digital parking start-up Seety started allowing its customers to pay for parking with Bitcoin. Additionally, users of the app can also pay with Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Dai, and USD Coin. 

Seety currently has over 350,000 active members and expects a revenue of EUR 400,000 in 2021. Despite operating not only in Belgium but also in France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, the crypto payment feature is currently only available in Brussels and Antwerp. 

Seety founders Hadrien Crespin and Nicolas Cognaux are keen cryptocurrency supporters. They anticipate that digital assets will become more environmentally friendly in the future, and hope that the global adoption of Bitcoin and altcoins significantly increases.

Additionally, e-commerce portal SHOP.com has partnered with Bitcoin payment service provider BitPay to enable customers to make purchases with cryptocurrencies. Users will have the option to pay with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Wrapped Bitcoin, Litecoin, and 5 USD-pegged stablecoins.

Last month, Swiss cryptocurrency trading platform Bitcoin Suisse and payments firm Worldline launched omnichannel crypto payment solution, WL Crypto Payments. This enabled 85,000 Swiss merchants to accept Bitcoin and Ether as a payment option at the point-of-sale (POS) and in e-commerce.