Brussels bar now accepts cryptocurrencies as payment

The Dolle Mol cafe in the heart of Brussels now accepts cryptocurrencies as a means of payment.

The famous anarchist bar on Rue des Éperonniers, which was completely renovated by a group of young Brussels residents two years ago, is among the first establishments in the capital to adopt the digital forms of money where encryption is used to secure the entire system.

"The cafe has to move with the times," said Grégoire, one of the bar’s owners. "Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the money of the future. We want to give everyone the opportunity to buy a pint with this new payment method."

"We haven't had any customers who wanted to pay with cryptocurrencies yet,” he added. “We're only just accepting it and people don't really know that yet. There is a sticker on the door that makes that clear but that's about it. It's a bit like the internet in the 1990s."

At the moment, the regulations on cryptocurrencies for operators in Brussels are rather fuzzy. "I have the impression that there is not really a clear, watertight regulation," said Grégoire. "That's why we prefer to keep it safe. If you want to pay for a pint with, say, Bitcoin, you can easily do so with a QR code. The money will then be placed in our personal bank account, and we will put that amount in the cash register."