Pick n Pay, one of the top-tier South Africa-based supermarket chains, is reportedly gearing towards the roll out of new features supporting its customers to pay for items in all its stores with Bitcoin. 

Specifically, Pick N Pay is reportedly having plans down its pipeline to release its cryptocurrency payments offering across its stores throughout the country in the coming months, following extensive periods of experimentation in select stores. 

The supermarket chain allegedly commenced running trial phases for Bitcoin payments half a decade prior in Cape Town, but was stymied by expensive costs and long transaction wait times.

The countrywide introduction will reportedly make it possible for the store’s clients to tap into crypto-enabled payment via “trusted apps” on their smartphones, or by simply scanning a QR code and accepting the rand conversion rate at the time of payment.

Chris Shortt, the group executive for IT at Pick n Pay, additionally disclosed that the growth and evolution of cryptocurrency technology throughout the past years has been sufficient for this new development to now “provide an affordable service for high volume, low-value transactions that will promote financial inclusion in South Africa.”

Pick n Pay reportedly forged an alliance with Electrum and CryptoConvert during its pilot phase to offer facilitating functionalities for buyers to pay for items through the Bitcoin lightning network.

South Africa are displaying signs of taking the pioneering role in terms of cryptocurrency adoption in the African region. 

In October, South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) made amendments to its financial advisory to provide definition for crypto assets in the nation as financial products, making it possible for cryptocurrencies to be offered by both domestic and global South-African licensed financial service providers.