A mobile crypto payment platform says its technology is transforming the retail business — and giving merchants an unprecedented opportunity to accept digital currencies as a method of payment. Eligma says Elipay, its flagship product, removes the hurdles that have been stopping brick-and-mortar stores from embracing cryptocurrencies. All too often, independent retailers have been dissuaded from accepting the likes of Bitcoin because it would take too much technical know-how. Volatility has been another concern, with small shops fearful that sudden price fluctuations could erase their razor-thin profit margins. However, the Slovenian startup says crypto can offer a much-needed alternative to …

United States merchant services provider and payment processing firm Aliant Payments has announced it will offer free crypto transaction processing to some merchants, according to a press release Jan. 29. Aliant’s crypto processing product for merchants, dubbed CryptoBucks, was launched in 2017. As the firm announced today, free crypto processing via the platform is now available “to qualifying merchants that sign up for debit and credit card processing.” The company clarified that the merchants must be located in the U.S. or Europe. According to the press release, Aliant has partnered with a publicly traded domestic bank, assuring its customers that …

Be honest: shopping with cryptocurrency isn’t always the easiest experience. Even if price volatility is on your side, spending funds can be nightmarish. Crypto is gaining in popularity but many merchants still don’t accept it – meaning you are stuck with those age-old, boring options of paying by card or cash. A “technology enabler” startup known as Cyclebit is aiming to simplify things by enabling stores to serve as “cryptocurrency gateways” – enticing crypto enthusiasts to come and spend their coins with them and inject some new funds into the economy. The idea has already started to gain traction – …

Fundstrat Global Advisors, market strategy and research provider, announced the firm will start accepting Bitcoin (BTC) for content via Bitpay, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph July 31. In what the company claims is a first for research firms, Fundstrat has added Bitcoin payments to its platform via payment operator BitPay, which processed more than $1 bln in Bitcoin payments in 2017. According to the press release, the new feature will allow institutional investors, as well as financial advisors, high net worth individuals and other entities to use Bitcoin to purchase access to Fundstrat’s reports on different financial …