Betty’s Place, a Restaurant based in Nyeri, 151 Kilometres out of Kenya’s national capital of Nairobi has started accepting Bitcoin and Dash as a means of payment.
In an exclusive interview with Cryptodolfin on Friday, Beatrice Wanjiru Wambuju, Owner and Manager of the restaurant revealed what motivated her to accept the world’s most widely-known cryptocurrency as a form of payment.
“Money has been evolving for centuries and businesses too has been adjusting with the changes since barter trade and the introduction of coins and notes”, Wambuju said. “The digital era that began with PayPal, Visa and MasterCard gave way to Mpesa (Mobile Money) and now cryptocurrency. It is the future of money and I’m embracing the future.”
Creating More Knowledge
According to Wambuju, she got to know about Bitcoin through the internet and that the decision to accept Bitcoin and later as payment at her restaurant is helping educate more people about Crypto. “It’s so awesome and I’m loving every bit of it as people are ready to learn and appreciate the technology”, she stated.
It is her believe the restaurant will attract Crypto aficionados in Kenya and tourist from abroad and even those who have no prior knowledge about the technology. Wambuju added:
“Everyone is eager to know what is happening and how Crypto works. Betty’s Place will attract those who want to spend their Bitcoins/Dash and those who are interested in learning about it. Even tourists who come to Kenya and have Bitcoin.”
On patronage with Crypto, since the decision was made a month ago, she revealed it is promising. “Yeah with four people paying with Bitcoin so far, this is a clear indication of a bright future,” she remarked.
Altcoin Payment And Volatility
When asked if the Restaurant will accept other Atlcoins in the near future, the proprietor cum manager had this to say: “The future is bright and we go as per my customer demand so if they create a demand for other coins we have no objection, they are our queens and kings.”
Wambuju is not bothered about Bitcoin volatility and thinks every venture has its own challenges. “Bitcoin has volatility mainly due to the fact that there is a limited amount of coins and the demand for them increases by each passing day,” she opined.
More so, she is likewise confident with time the volatility will diminish and there is no need to worry about that.
Adoption In Kenya
It is very refreshing to see such developments in Kenya despite all the opposition to Cryptocurrencies. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) on several occasions has warned the Kenyan public Bitcoin is a risky investment and people should stay away from it.
However, adoption in Kenya continues to boom with the country listed among the top three countries in Africa with the highest adoption rate. Last year the country was ranked 5th in the world with the highest per capita holding of Bitcoin by Citibank.