Reuters has learned that the world’s largest cryptocurrency can now be purchased at six tobacco shops throughout Paris. However, in a report French magazine Capital has claimed that there are as many as 24 shops currently participating in the experiment backed by Keplerk — a French cryptocurrency wallet provider.
According to Capital, customers can purchase Bitcoin for the sums of 50, 100 or 250 euros. The tobacco shop then provides a ticket with an alphanumeric code and a QR code, which can then be used to obtain the purchased bitcoins via Keplerk’s website. The magazine adds that Keplerk collects a 7 percent fee on each payment, 1.25 of which then goes to the tobacco shop. By February, it is planned to expand the project to 6500 tobacco shops.
As Cointelegraph reported in November 2018, France’s tobacco federation has obtained permission to trade Bitcoin in its shops from the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR), an independent agency that operates under the auspices of the French central bank.
However, on the same day that the news broke, the country’s central bank denied the reports, saying that it had not greenlighted any deals related to cryptocurrencies and In addition to that, AMF stated that PAYSAFEBIT SASU — the legal entity behind Keplerk — was not licensed by French authorities. But the French government has not imposed a de facto ban on selling Bitcoin at tobacco shops.
https://cointelegraph.com
But where is the connection between tobacco shops and cryptocurrency sales?