South Africa has its first cryptocurrency ATM since 2104 and the new Northwold Spar machine in Johannesburg will become the only one operating in the country, reports Bitcoinist.
George Neophytou, the General Manager of the Northwold Spar and self-confessed crypto enthusiast was inspired to purchase the machine after a trip to Europe, the continent with the world’s third market share of crypto ATMs, He comments:
“It is all awfully exciting. It will take away much the frustration of buying and selling cryptocurrency, and hopefully help make cryptocurrencies mainstream… It’s a different world there. Walking around in the streets of Germany you see signs with ‘Bitcoins accepted there’.”
The ATM, which was imported from Portugal, will be able to process various forms of cryptocurrency tokens including Ethereum and Bitcoin. It’s not the first in South Africa, as a previous machine was installed in 2014 at a men’s salon in Midrand, Johannesburg, but was closed down after a short period in operation. The store manager was excited about the prospect of making cryptocurrency available to his customers:
“It is all awfully exciting. It will take away much the frustration of buying and selling cryptocurrency, and hopefully help make cryptocurrencies mainstream…Lots of people in South Africa are also in the cryptocurrency space and lots of South Africans are watching it. However, not all individuals have access to it.”
Neophyou hopes that his ATM will make cryptocurrency accessible to those customers without a bank account, and hopes to roll out more ATMs, if successful. Although, he warns that those using the machine should do their research and understand that they should only spend what they can afford to lose.
A recent survey conducted in South Africa maintained that one in four respondents confirmed they plan to invest in cryptocurrency in the future, and another 15% said that they would invest in mining equipment. Although, warnings of electricity hikes of up to 50% in the near future may well dampen the enthusiasm of prospective bitcoin miners, according to LiveBitcoinNews.com
South Africa joins Zimbabwe and Djibouti are currently the only African countries to offer cryptocurrency ATMs.
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