A supermarket chain on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro, in the Rio das Ostras municipality, now gives customers the option to pay with cryptocurrency, according to local news outlet Portal do Bitcoin.
Oasis Supermercados has two stores and a total of 90 employees. Those who patronize the supermarket can pay with bitcoin, litecoin, and bitcoin cash, according to administrator Douglas Andrade.
Andrade said the inspiration to accept cryptocurrency first came from his brother, who called a brokerage firm after watching a video about how stores and shops could accept crypto.
News Is Spreading Fast About The New Payment
Since the supermarket chain just started accepting cryptocurrency on December 18th, Andrade said there have not been any payments made with crypto yet.
He indicated however, that news about the acceptance is moving fast and people are starting to ask questions about the new capabilities. The payment system was rolled out by CoinWISE.
In a similar move, road transport company Viacao Garcia announced in June they were accepting bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and litecoin. It claims to be the first in the road transportation sector to accept crypto, according to Portal do Bitcoin.
Contentious Struggles With Brazilian Authorities
Some Brazilian entities in the crypto field have had to battle with authorities and financial officials to stay in operation.
CryptoGlobe reported on November 1st about how the Bitcoin Max cryptocurrency exchange was able to regain access to bank accounts after being shut off with no prior notice from Santander and Banco do Brazil.
Lawyers for the exchange escalated the case to Brazil’s Federal District & Territorial Court, who said the closure without prior notice was an instance of “abusive conduct.”
However, the decision is not necessarily final even though the banks opened Bitcoin Max’s accounts. In October, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice said banks have the ability to close down accounts used by crypto exchanges without any justification.
CryptoGlobe reported that the decision was handed down in a case between Itau Bank and the Mercado Bitcoin exchange, a situation that some believed could set a precedent down the road.
