A1 Accepts Payments in Cryptocurrency in Austria

Austria's leading telecom A1, which owns the mobile operator of the same name in Bulgaria, has announced that it has allowed its customers to pay with cryptocurrency in a pilot project aimed at testing the popularity of virtual payments, BNR reported.

Customers can pay with bitcoin, litecoins, dash and other cryptocurrencies in certain stores in the country, the company said.

"This is a trial. If it turns out to be (as it is popular) we will expand our offer, "said A1 spokesman Jochen Schutzenauer. He added that cryptocurrency payments are already widely accepted in America and Asia.

The A1 mobile telephony operator, which has more than 5.3 million customers in Austria, with a population of 8.8 million, has announced that customers will pay in cryptocurrency for transactions, but merchants will receive euros.

Cryptocurrencies, whose nature makes it difficult to trace their origins, have flourished since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009.

Facebook announced a plan for its own virtual currency, LIBRA, in June, alarming financial regulators, fearing that the huge potential of social media could disrupt the financial system.