Time to go shopping: Which supermarkets accept cryptocurrency
New era of shopping with crypto
Cryptocurrencies are not only a convenient tool for saving, investing, and cross-border payments, but also an increasingly popular method for everyday purchases. More and more supermarkets around the world are starting to accept digital assets — and this trend is only gaining momentum.
Just last week, SPAR joined the growing list of crypto-friendly retailers. One of its stores, located in Zug, Switzerland, integrated cryptocurrency payments. Thanks to the OpenCryptoPay solution by DFX Swiss, it became the first supermarket in the country to instantly accept Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network.
"The first Bitcoin payment at a SPAR supermarket in Zug, Switzerland. Beautifully executed, DFX Swiss. Just scan a QR code, send some sats, and the cashier processes it instantly and seamlessly," said Rahim Taghizadegan, Director of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland.
According to him, if the experiment proves successful, the solution could be scaled across the country. In the long term, the system might even be implemented across the entire SPAR network, which includes 13,900 locations in 48 countries.
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Where it all began
Supermarkets began experimenting with cryptocurrency payments in 2019. The first major chain to accept crypto as a means of payment was Whole Foods Market, owned by Amazon.
To make this happen, they implemented Spedn — a mobile app that allowed users to pay with Bitcoin, ETH, and other cryptocurrencies. The announcement created a buzz, as digital assets were previously considered niche in the retail world. Whole Foods became the first major supermarket to embrace decentralized payments.
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The initiative was launched in partnership with Flexa, a crypto payments platform that enabled instant conversion of cryptocurrencies into U.S. dollars. This protected retailers from volatility risks while allowing customers to pay without banks or cards. In addition to Whole Foods, luxury department store Nordstrom and several smaller retailers also joined the project.
Which retail chains are embracing crypto?
Beyond Whole Foods, other retail giants have shown interest in Bitcoin payments. Notably, Walmart began experimenting with crypto infrastructure in 2021 by installing Bitcoin ATMs in dozens of its U.S. locations. While this didn’t mean direct crypto payments at the checkout, the presence of BTC infrastructure in a major grocery chain sent a strong signal to the market.
Walmart’s CTO, Suresh Kumar, expressed confidence during a 2022 crypto conference that cryptocurrencies would play a leading role not only in digital commerce but in traditional retail as well.
"I believe there are three main forces leading us away from traditional finance, and crypto is at the heart of that. It’s changing how people discover and engage with products," Kumar emphasized.
In Croatia, the country’s largest supermarket chain Konzum also adopted cryptocurrency payments. It started with its online store and later moved on to testing in physical retail locations.
On the global stage, crypto payments have found more traction in countries with high inflation and growing interest in decentralized finance. For instance, Carrefour in Argentina and Brazil began experimenting with crypto payments in its hypermarkets.
In 2022, crypto exchange Binance partnered with Ukrainian supermarket chain VARUS, allowing customers to pay for goods using Binance Pay technology.
Then, in 2023, one of South Africa’s largest retail chains, Pick n Pay, officially rolled out BTC payments across all of its 1,500 stores.
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Growing interest
Retailers’ interest in cryptocurrencies continues to grow year after year and has long since moved past the experimental phase. From pilot programs in the U.S. to full-scale implementation in South Africa, from Bitcoin ATMs at Walmart to Lightning payments at SPAR in Switzerland — the market is gradually moving toward recognizing crypto as a viable everyday payment method.
While some companies are still in testing mode, others are already scaling crypto solutions across thousands of stores. And even though cryptocurrencies are not yet the dominant form of payment, the direction is clear: retail is actively integrating blockchain technologies. The question is no longer if supermarkets will accept crypto — it’s when it will become a global standard.
