Despite El Salvador’s recently passed law mandating Bitcoin as legal tender, local remittance firms are reportedly hesitant to adopt Bitcoin (BTC). Speaking to Reuters, Autonomous Research fintech analyst Kenneth Suchoski argued that remittance firms are unlikely to launch support for Bitcoin and other crypto assets until prompted to do so by customer demand, likely creating a stalemate for the local payments industry. “For Western Union and some of the other remittance providers, keep in mind that most of the volume in the remittance industry is going from developed markets to emerging markets primarily to people — families and friends — …

The crypto payment solutions provider that introduced blockchain-based subscription billing to credit card-harried merchants is moving to the Binance Smart Chain. PumaPay pioneered cryptocurrency-funded payments with its PullPayment Protocol, a series of smart contracts that opens up the use of flexible billing tools like recurring subscriptions and automated account balance top-ups that actively “pull” payments from clients. By doing away with the need to ask customers to actively “push” out crypto payment every month, it gives online merchants an alternative to the high fees and restrictive rules of fiat credit card companies that were previously the only source of “set …

Online shoppers who pay with their Coinbase Card via Apple Pay and Google Pay will begin enjoying crypto rebates. In an announcement issued on Coinbase's blog on Tuesday, the exchange service revealed that starting in June, some whitelisted customers will be selected to begin enjoying the crypto rebate feature. As part of the announcement, Coinbase revealed that customers who use their Coinbase Card via Apple Pay and Google Pay can earn up to 4% in crypto rewards for online shopping. “Splurging for guacamole with your Coinbase Card is a no-brainer when you can earn 1% back in Bitcoin or 4% …

An all-in-one DeFi platform says it delivers everything that crypto enthusiasts need — including lending services, staking, a fiat on-ramp, remittances and seamless payments. BitCashPay is registered with the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission, and also intends to acquire a license from the country’s central bank. Whereas some decentralized finance projects offer little in the way of support for newcomers into the space, BitCashPay says it is determined to serve as an educational resource that makes digital assets easier to understand. The platform has launched an academy that provides straightforward guides on a plethora of topics spanning cryptocurrencies and blockchain. …

Retail crypto payment acceptance in the United States continues to grow as Sheetz announces plans to allow the use of digital currencies in its outlets across the country. In a release issued on Thursday, the convenience store chain announced its partnership with digital payments provider Flexa to enable customers to pay for products and services with cryptocurrencies. As part of the announcement, Sheetz revealed that the crypto payment option was for both in-store items and gas pumps at their over 600 outlets across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. Cryptocurrencies that will be accepted by the convenience …

Increasing numbers of offshore cryptocurrency exchanges are embracing Brazil’s instant payments infrastructure, PIX. On May 28, OKEx announced a strategic partnership with local payments firm CuboPay, allowing it to facilitate Tether ($USDT) purchases in exchange for Brazilian real via PIX. The news follows similar moves from rival exchanges, including Crypto.com peer-to-peer platform Localbitcoins. The integrations come as the Central Bank of Brazil, or BCB, published preliminary guidelines for a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, on May 25. The announcement emphasizes that the CBDC will operate “as an extension of the physical currency,” and is intended to improve the retail …

PayPal’s embrace of cryptocurrencies appears to be growing after the payments provider revealed that it will allow users to withdraw their digital assets to third-party wallets. The news, which was reported by Reuters Wednesday afternoon, comes just seven months after PayPal first enabled crypto purchases on its platform. At the time, the decision was heralded as a major milestone in mainstream recognition of digital assets. The Wednesday announcement means PayPal users will be able to send their cryptocurrencies to other wallets instead of just holding it on PayPal or selling it into fiat currency for withdrawal. However, neither Reuters nor …

Global software giant Apple is recruiting for a new business development manager specializing in alternative payments, signaling that the iPhone maker is gravitating toward digital assets. The new job post for “Business Development Manager – Alternative Payments” was posted to Apple’s careers website on Tuesday. The new hire will be responsible for leading alternative payments partnerships and defining new commercialization streams. Apple is seeking a business professional with more than 10 years of experience, including a five-year track record “with alternative payment providers, such as digital wallets, BNPL, Fast Payments, cryptocurrency” and others. While the job posting is compelling, Apple …

The Bank of Indonesia is one of the latest global central banks to announce state digital currency plans amid a major spike in the country’s digital payments. Governor Perry Warjiyo said Tuesday that Indonesia’s central bank is planning to launch a digital rupiah currency as a legal payment instrument in Indonesia, Reuters reports. The official noted that the rupiah is the only legally accepted currency for payment in the country so far, and BI will be looking to regulate a digital rupiah the same way it regulates cash and card-based transactions. According to Warjiyo, BI is now studying potential benefits …

Airtm, a Mexico City-based digital wallet and exchange operator, has received $15 million in funding from the Stellar Development Foundation, or SDF, as it seeks to expand financial services and cryptocurrency adoption in Latin America. The investment, which is the largest SDF has ever made as part of its Enterprise Fund, will enable Airtm to integrate with Stellar in the coming year. As part of the Stellar network, Airtm will be able to better provide its users with access to global financial services. “Airtm exists because financial systems throughout the developing world are not aligned with their people's needs and …

Russian lawmakers are reportedly weighing a partial reversal of the country’s ban on cryptocurrency payments. Pavel Krasheninnikov, chairman of the Russian Duma’s Committee on State Building and Legislation, announced that the government is considering amending civil law to allow crypto payments as a “contractual medium.” According to Interfax on Monday, Krasheninnikov noted that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) do not currently represent a legal payment method in Russia, which means that merchants are not required to accept it. The planned amendments would allow crypto payments in Russia under contractual law — meaning that such payments would be only possible with the …

A luxury yacht firm has announced it will begin accepting cryptocurrency for its services and expects to see an immediate 40% growth increase from Bitcoin (BTC) payments in the first year. In addition to accepting Bitcoin payments, the firm also announced that it would base its web and mobile services on blockchain technology as it provided more transactional security than any other system. The firm stated that it expects to see $6.5 million in revenue in the coming year, primarily from its yacht charter service and the bespoke experiences it hosts for clients. Co-founded by two Colombians and operational in …