South African grocery giant "Pick n Pay" intends to accept Bitcoin in all stores nationwide

The company said it will allow customers to pay with any Bitcoin Lightning-enabled app and QR codes for fast payments.

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Pick n Pay, one of South Africa's largest supermarket chains, is set to allow customers to pay for items in all of its stores using Bitcoin.

According to South African news outlet Tech Central, Pick N Pay plans to roll out its cryptocurrency payment service to its stores nationwide in the coming months, following years of experimentation in select stores. The supermarket chain reportedly started experimenting with bitcoin payments five years ago in Cape Town, but was stymied by high costs and long wait times for transactions.

The nationwide rollout will allow store customers to pay for items using cryptocurrency through "trusted apps" on their smartphones, or by simply scanning a QR code and accepting the conversion rate in rand at the time of payment.

According to the report, Chris Shortt, Head of IT Group at Pick n Pay, said advances and evolution in cryptocurrency technology over the years have now made it "provide an affordable service for consumers." high volume, low value transactions that will drive financial inclusion in South Africa."

Pick n Pay has reportedly partnered with Electrum and CryptoConvert during its pilot program to allow customers to pay for items through the Bitcoin Lightning Network.