The very first Bitcoin (BTC) ATM came to the United States in 2014 to Austin, Texas. This historic event occurred quickly after Canada pioneered the idea in 2013, and the excitement and demand for such ATMs have soared across the globe ever since. There are currently over 8,000 BTC ATMs in more than 70 countries worldwide. In fact, the highest number of Bitcoin ATMs was recorded in the U.S. in 2020, and as of April 2020, approximately 81% of global ATMs were concentrated in North America. Two types of Bitcoin ATMs exist, with one being more complex than the other. …

LibertyX, the firm that launched one of the early Bitcoin ATMs, has just made purchasing Bitcoin in cash possible at more than 20,000 retail locations across the United States. In a June 22 announcement on LibertyX’s Twitter account, the crypto ATM service company said customers of retailers including 7-Eleven, CVS Pharmacy, and Rite Aid would be able to buy Bitcoin (BTC) with cash. Users need to have the LibertyX mobile app installed, select which retailer location they will visit in advance, and scan their barcodes at the time of purchase. According to LibertyX, crypto holders can buy between $20-$500—up to …

The total number of Bitcoin ATMs has now passed 8,000 worldwide. According to monitoring resource CoinATMRadar, there are currently 8,208 ATMs in 73 countries allowing users to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins for cash. More than 6,000 of them are in the United States. Depending on the ATM, crypto holders can purchase and withdraw Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ether (ETH), Dash (DASH), Litecoin (LTC), Zcash (ZEC), Monero (XMR), Dogecoin (DOGE), Tether (USDT) and XRP. Growing steadily in the US The number of Bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) has risen 17% since March, when Cointelegraph reported that there were more than 7,000. …

Experts predict that Bitcoin ATMs (BATMs) will face stricter regulations worldwide, with countries including Canada and Germany already moving to tighten up anti-money laundering requirements. A June 2 report from CipherTrace estimates that 74% of transactions made from U.S.-based Bitcoin ATMs were sent out of the country during 2019. The report also found that 88% of funds sent from U.S. crypto ATMs to virtual currency exchanges were transferred overseas. The figure has seen exponential growth over recent years, doubling annually since 2017. In an interview with Law360, CipherTrace CTO John Jeffries predicted that BATMs will become “a greater point of …

Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, has called for tenders to provide 4,917 ATMs with a built-in graphic card capable of supporting “blockchain operations”. Cointelegraph spoke with two experts who said the most obvious use case for a blockchain optimized graphics card is mining cryptocurrency. Sberbank is Russia’s oldest and largest bank and holds almost 44% of all personal deposits in the country. It operates 14,200 branches and 77,000 ATMs across the country. The state is its largest shareholder and its Chairman and CEO, Herman Gref, was Russia’s former minister of Economics and Trade. He is known to be a big proponent …

Ripple partner and investor, SBI Holdings, announced plans to integrate Ripple-powered settlements across ATMs in Japan. The news was revealed in SBI’s latest financial report, announcing a plan to integrate the Ripple-powered settlements platform MoneyTap with ATMs run by various banks across Japan. The integration is intended to provide consumers with easier access to funds at ATMs regardless of their banking affiliation. SBI to integrate Ripple tech across Japanese ATMs SBI claims that integrating MoneyTap will also allow banks to reduce the costs incurred through operating an ATMs, stating: “Currently, each bank has an ATM with its own bank app, …

A crypto company has launched a prepaid card that enables consumers to spend their digital assets freely. Embily can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted and boasts a daily ATM withdrawal limit of $2,500 — substantially higher than conventional bank cards. The product is available worldwide, and Embily says all funds are insured. Better still, cards are fully customizable, meaning owners get the chance to really show their personalities and make a statement. Presently, the Embily team says the card can be topped up with three types of cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ether and Tether. “Strong community coins” are also going to …

Bitcoin Depot, the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in the world, has begun powering down some of its machines in an effort to halt further spread of COVID-19. As much of the world sits in quarantine, Bitcoin Depot has chosen to temporarily shut off crypto ATMs which specifically reside in high traffic areas. The company is undertaking this push as a way to encourage social distancing. “As we monitor the ongoing situation, the number of locations temporarily taken offline will likely increase,” Bitcoin Depot’s director of product, Alona Lubovnaya, told Cointelegraph in an email, adding: “We are continuing to monitor for …

Africa’s largest country has welcomed its first Bitcoin ATM. Blockstale BTM, the company that installed the ATM in the Dazey Lounge and Bar in Lagos state, plans to launch more than 30 more terminals across Nigeria. “Despite all the legal uncertainties about cryptocurrencies in Nigeria, Nigerians happen to be the highest crypto traders in Africa,” Blockstale’s chief executive and founder, Daniel Adekunle, told local media on April 1. Adekunle developed his Bitcoin ATMs in partnership with a tech firm based in Shenzhen, China. Nigeria welcomes Africa’s 15th Bitcoin ATM Despite being home to the largest trade volume in Africa, Nigeria …

The German financial watchdog is stopping the operations of a company KKT UG from Berlin that allows consumers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies at ATMs. Lack of necessary permission According to a March 4 statement, BaFin ordered Mr. Adam Gramowski, who runs KKT UG as managing editor, to cease cross-border proprietary trading. The order was issued on Feb. 26. On its website www.shitcoins.club, the company advertises 24 bitcoin machines für purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies in Germany. Moreover, its business apparently extends across the whole of Europe. According to his LinkedIn profile, Gramowski also works as CEO of Bitcoin Technologies …

The number of crypto ATMs across the globe has grown to over 7,000, with machines in 75 countries. At press time, CoinATMRadar listed 7,014 cryptocurrency ATMs in existence. This number also includes machines hosting digital currencies other than Bitcoin (BTC), including assets such as Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ether (ETH), Dash (DASH) and Litecoin (LTC). Crypto ATMs have come a long way The world saw its first Bitcoin ATM in 2013, when a company called Robocoin placed a machine in a Vancouver coffee shop. Allowing customers to trade Bitcoin for cash, and vice versa, the machine saw $10,000 in BTC transacted …

On Feb. 28, the Litecoin Foundation announced a partnership with MeconCash to roll-out Litecoin (LTC) to Korean won withdrawals and remittances from 13,000 ATMs in South Korea. The partnership will see LTC integrated onto MeconCash’s M.Pay payments platform. Litecoin will also be accepted as payment on MeconCash’s retail platform MeconMall, and to pay for games that accept M.Pay rewards. According to CryptoCompare, 24-hour trade between Litcoin and won produced nearly $4.3 million in trade — comprising 0.82 percent of total trade at press time. Charlie Lee, the managing director of the Litecoin Foundation, described the partnership as “a big step …