US city sets up Bitcoin ATM in airport after crypto payment adoption

Published at: Nov. 18, 2021

The North Dakota’s City of Williston continues exploring and adopting the cryptocurrency industry by elevating a crypto automated teller machine (ATM) in its international airport.

The city’s administration officially announced the installation of the “government-hosted cryptocurrency kiosk” at the Williston Basin International Airport, allowing passengers and non-travelers to buy and sell 40 digital currencies. The list of supported coins includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB).

For the initiative, the City of Williston partnered with the crypto service Coin Cloud, which provided its digital currency machines (DCM) to the city. According to the firm, a DCM is “more than just a Bitcoin ATM” as it allows users to buy and sell not only Bitcoin but also 40 other digital assets with cash. “Old school Bitcoin ATMs can’t do all that,” Coin Cloud says.

Hercules Cummings, finance director for the City of Williston, told Cointelegraph that the effort “may be the first case of an airport and government-hosted crypto ATM” in the United States. He also now anticipates the city’s crypto payment volumes to increase, stating:

“By the government accepting cryptocurrencies for utility payments now coupled with hosting cryptocurrency ATMs, a government is a key player providing exposure to the public and accelerating adoption of cryptocurrency.”

The City of Williston’s next step would be to place a crypto ATM in the City Hall upon higher demand in the airport, the official noted. “As part of our roadmap, we will eventually cross these payment corridors over to licenses, permits, and other fees within the city,” he added.

While the City of Williston advocates crypto adoption, its administration does not act as the fund custodian or manage any crypto transactions. The DCM operator, Coin Cloud, handles purchases and withdrawals.

The main goal behind the DCM is to “bridge public curiosity to acceptance and portfolio adoption of a growing asset class,” Cummings said. “We firmly believe simple but large moves like this will achieve that. We desire to continue making a transformational impact and position ourselves as a key player in this technology initiative,” he added.

Related: Venezuelan international airport to accept Bitcoin payments: Report

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the City of Williston partnered with major crypto payment firm BitPay in May 2021 to start accepting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as payment for utility bills.

Apart from Bitcoin, citizens can now also pay their utility bills with Bitcoin Cash, Ether, Wrapped Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and five USD-pegged stablecoins like the Gemini dollar (GUSD), the USD Coin (USDC) and the Binance USD (BUSD), Cummings said.

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