Zurich, 8 November 2019: Worldline, [Euronext: WLN], the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry, and Bitcoin Suisse, the oldest and largest crypto financial-services company in Switzerland, have signed a letter of intent for a partnership to offer cryptocurrency payment services to Swiss merchants and consumers both in-store and in web-shops. The cooperation will leverage the existing nationwide payments infrastructure of SIX Payment Services, which is part of Worldline since the end of 2018, and the cryptocurrency expertise and experience of Bitcoin Suisse to make payments with cryptocurrencies a reality across a wide range of businesses and industries.
At the upcoming Swiss Payments Forum in Zurich, Worldline and Bitcoin Suisse will present further details about the partnership between the two industry leaders. The goal of the partnership is to augment the existing payment service network of Worldline with cryptocurrency payment capabilities and – vice-versa – endorse the use of cryptocurrency in the country through its acceptance as payment currency on a large-scale both at the Point of Sale and in e-Commerce.
Dr. Arthur Vayloyan, CEO of Bitcoin Suisse, commented:
“Our partnership with Worldline is a major step forward on the journey to bring crypto payments into broader adoption. Bitcoin Suisse is proud to serve as the processor of cryptocurrencies in Worldline’s payment service system. We applaud them for their pioneering spirit in taking this monumental step and pointing the way forward for others.”
Marc Schluep, CEO of Worldline in Switzerland, added:
“As a market leader we have a reputation to introduce latest payment functionalities that enhance the customer journey as well as boost efficiency and profitability for our merchants. Through the cooperation with Bitcoin Suisse, merchants can benefit from an entirely new offering without taking any conversion risk.”
Wider adoption of cryptocurrencies, beginning in Switzerland
The partnership between Worldline and Bitcoin Suisse aims at reinforcing the leading position of Switzerland as a strong center in the crypto-financial services industry. With over 800 companies currently developing solutions or offering services to crypto and blockchain companies, Switzerland’s Crypto Valley has already grown into a well-known location for forward-looking innovation in the space. Bitcoin Suisse has developed extensive in-house technical and crypto-financial expertise through its more than 6 years of experience in trading, brokerage and storage for cryptocurrencies.
In 2016 the city of Zug became a pioneer in accepting Bitcoin for public services. With the growing interest in cryptocurrencies around Switzerland and beyond, the next step towards wider adoption through existing industry leaders makes logical sense. Using Worldline’s network of more than 85.000 merchants in Switzerland, businesses will be able to accept cryptocurrencies for payments simply and securely. The service will be intuitive and straightforward both for sales staff and online shoppers. Payouts to merchants will be made in Swiss francs or Euros and the transaction figures will be fully integrated into the merchant reports like any other card or wallet.
After a successful launch in Switzerland, Worldline will roll out its new cryptocurrency payment service across Europe.
