Burger King launches its own cryptocurrency in Russia
Fast food chain Burger King has made an unexpected entrance into the cryptocurrency market by launching its own version of bitcoin in Russia called the ‘WhopperCoin’. The cryptocurrency can be used to reward customers in-store for each purchase of a Whopper meal.
“Now Whopper is not only [a] burger that people in 90 different countries love – it’s an investment tool as well. According to the forecasts, cryptocurrency will increase exponentially in value. Eating Whoppers now is a strategy for financial prosperity tomorrow,’ said Ivan Shestov, Head of External Communications at Burger King Russia in a statement.
Ethereum surges above $360 on a two-month high
Bitcoin-rival Ethereum is back on track after it dipped as low as $150 earlier this year.
The cryptocurrency was trading at around $340 and hit a two-month high of $360 today. The surge in price is reportedly due to enthusiast trading in South Korea.
Mastercard and Visa implement contactless payments for Fitbit
The wearables fitness device says that owners of the Ionic smartwatch will be able to enable payments with their wearable device. Consumers will be able to pay with Mastercard and Visa in more than 10 counties by loading their cards onto the Fitbit companion app and tap their contactless watches around the world.
“We’re focused on delivering the features that add that right level of utility to our users, so they can focus on reaching their health and fitness goals,” says Jon Oakes, VP of Product Management.
“Fitbit Pay lets you make payments on the go directly from your wrist with Fitbit Ionic, adding convenience to your life and the ability to leave your smartphone and wallet at home.”
Amazon lets UK users pay online with cash
Amazon Top Up, the service by Amazon that lets consumers pay for products online on Amazon using cash, has launched in the UK. The service allows users to deposit cash into an Amazon account by scanning a barcode at specific retailers in the UK.
The goal allows the underbanked and those without debit or credit cards to use Amazon UK with cash.
As always, we’d love to know your opinion of the biggest story of this week. Share your vote using our Twitter poll below:
It’s news round up day! What’s the biggest fintech story this week? #fintech #payments
— PaymentEye (@PaymentEye) August 30, 2017
Read last week’s payments round-up here.
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