McDonald’s begins to accept Bitcoin and USDT in Swiss Lugano

Global fast-food franchise McDonald’s started to accept Bitcoin and Tether as a payment method in the city of Lugano in the region of Switzerland, which is becoming a leader in crypto adoption in Europe. It follows after the Plan B Foundation has enabled Bitcoin payments for merchants across the city.

A short video of ordering food on McDonald’s digital kiosk and paying for it at the regular register with the help of a mobile app was uploaded on Twitter by Bitcoin Magazine on Oct. 3. The Tether (USDT)  logo also could be spotted on the credit cash machine, which is not surprising, as the city of Lugano announced it would accept Tether Bitcoin, and the LVGA token as a legal tender since this March.

Back then, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with Tether Operations Limited, launching the so-called “Plan B.” According to this plan, Tether has created two funds — one is a $106 million investment pool for crypto startups, and the second is around $3 million to encourage crypto adoption for shops and merchants in the city.

The project will also allow Lugano residents to pay taxes, parking tickets, public services, and tuition fees for students using crypto. Further, over 200 shops across the city are expected to accept crypto payments for goods and services.

In June, chief technology officer of Tether and Bitfinex Paolo Ardoino told Cointelegraph that Plan B “is going great,” announcing a two-week educational course on blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the city.

Meanwhile, Dubai hotels started to allow crypto payments following Binance’s launch of a crypto-to-crypto payment gateway in the region. For instance, the Manor by JA, located at Al Furjan, allows paying through the hotel’s official website. Payments are facilitated by cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The crypto-to-crypto gateway supports virtual assets like BNB, Bitcoin, and Ethereum.