Vending machines can now be operated with Bitcoins

Vending machines used by key Asia-Pacific soft-drink bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Amatil will now be receiving payments in cryptocurrency. The development is followed by a new deal with the digital asset platform Centrapay.

Coca-Cola Amatil’s network of 2,000+ vending machines will enable consumers to spend their crypto by scanning a QR code payment sticker https://t.co/LslBsGSVXM

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 9, 2020

Coca-Cola Amatil has a network of more than 2,000 vending machines in Australia and New Zealand. It will now let customers spend cryptocurrency through their smartphone cameras to scan a QR code sticker for payment, provided they have the Sylo Smart Wallet installed. Sylo Smart Wallet is a decentralized app combining messaging services with a digital wallet, in order to support major digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and ERC-20 token.

Jerome Faury, Centrapay’s CEO has emphasized to greater awareness of the need to lessen physical contact during transactions due to the global Coronavirus health crisis.

The new deal with Coca-Cola Amatil — seemingly one of the world’s largest bottlers of the Coca-Cola range, serving about 270 million customers — has been regarded as a first step in providing global consumers with easier access to crypto.

Faury stated: “Now we’ve shown how it can work in Australia and New Zealand, we’re looking to grow the business globally. We’ve established a presence in North America and will be targeting the U.S. market next.”

According to a report by Cointelegraph, while Centrapay and Coca-Cola Amatil are focusing on watching customers and retailers, other Coca-Cola bottlers have already adopted the blockchain technology on the supply chain side.

By the end of 2019, Coke One North America — the company that manages IT operations for the soda giant’s bottlers — started using an SAP-based blockchain solution to manage its supply chain. The company currently oversees a number of franchises that manufacture, bottle, and ship about 160,000 orders of Coca-Cola’s products daily.