Betty’s Place Restaurant in Nyeri Accepts Bitcoin Payments

Betty's place restaurant in Nyeri town is now accepting bitcoin as payment for their products and services. 

Speaking to journalists, the restaurant owner Beatrice Wambugu revealed that she decided to introduce bitcoin payments as an effort towards accepting the current technology trends. 

"Since I am the kind of person that likes to embrace new trends and I would like other people to adopt this technology as well, hence my decision accept bitcoin payments in my restaurant. It is a form of payment just like M-Pesa and cash," she stated. 

[caption caption="Betty's place in Nyeri"][/caption]

She also divulged that her joint has so far received three bitcoin payments from customers who like her, are experimenting on how the cryptocurrency works. 

Ms Wambugu further noted that she earns bitcoins through a platform that pays its users in its currency every time they refer a friend adding that she learnt the trade from there.

Her move has raised curiosity amongst most of her customers whom she mentions are unaware of bitcoin, a fact that is most likely true across all the counties in the country.

According to the google trends in the past twelve months, most bitcoin searches have taken place in Nairobi and Mombasa. 

A recent research by Citi Bank reveals that Kenya is among the few countries in the world with the highest per capita holding of bitcoin.

The report reveals that bitcoin holdings as a percent of GDP is highest in Russia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Ukraine, Kenya, South Africa, United Kingdom and Colombia.

However, the use of bitcoin in Kenya has caused a stir as MPs in the Finance Committee called on the National Treasury to ban or put strict regulations on crypto exchanges and dealers. 

The Members of Parliament were concerned about the fact that cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous and untraceable and can be used by corrupt individuals for money laundering.

On her part, Ms Wambugu asserted: "Cryptocurrency is here to stay, not even regulated by CBK. This is a global evolution. They can't help it but accept it. The problem we have is lack of information."

[caption caption="Members of Parliament during a house session"][/caption]