Swiss supermarket giant Spar is preparing to start accepting Bitcoin payments! Here are the details.

Spar supermarkets across Switzerland are preparing to launch Bitcoin payments following successful pilot programs at two locations.

Spar to Launch Bitcoin Payments Across Switzerland

This initiative, supported by the crypto payment provider DFX Swiss, allows customers to make payments with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network using OpenCryptoPay, a peer-to-peer platform designed for seamless face-to-face transactions.

Spar’s Zug store tested this system for the first time at the beginning of this month, and shortly thereafter, the second store in Kreuzlingen also joined this application.

OpenCryptoPay, in a statement made via Twitter(, said, “Zug was just a prototype store, we will expand across all of Switzerland soon.”

This expansion makes Spar one of the first major supermarket chains in Switzerland to integrate Bitcoin payments on a large scale. The community-created guide for businesses accepting cryptocurrency, BTC Map, listed participating Spar stores.

Rahim Taghizadegan, director of Bitcoin Association Switzerland, said after testing the payment experience, “Scan a fixed QR code, send sats, and get instant and easy registration by the cashier.”

This move reflects the growing trend of cryptocurrency adoption in Switzerland while national discussions continue regarding the role of Bitcoin in the country’s financial system.

At the recent annual shareholders meeting of the Swiss National Bank, President Martin Schlegel reiterated that Bitcoin is too volatile to be considered for Switzerland’s official currency reserves.

Meanwhile, an initiative started by citizens aims to amend the Swiss Constitution to make it mandatory for the Swiss National Bank to hold Bitcoin along with gold. If the initiative collects 100,000 signatures, the proposal could be submitted to a national referendum.

With this step by Spar, Switzerland’s growing reputation as the “crypto country” is gaining even more momentum. According to BTC Map data, more than 600 businesses across the country accept Bitcoin. Municipalities such as Zug and Lugano have been leading the way by accepting Bitcoin and stablecoins for public services since 2020 and 2022, respectively.