Pharmacies in Ukraine are embracing digital payments amid the ongoing war, with major local pharmacy chains allowing payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC).
ANC Pharmacy, one of the largest pharmacy chains in Ukraine, has partnered with Binance Ukraine to launch cryptocurrency payments through the contactless crypto payment service Binance Pay.
Starting from January 3, ANC Pharmacy will enable customers to proceed with instant payments when purchasing pharmaceutical products online, the pharmacy chain officially announced on Tuesday.
ANC Pharmacy operates more than 1,000 pharmacies throughout Ukraine, which run their own online pharmacy service. According to the official announcement, Binance Pay payments will initially be launched in pharmacies in Kyiv.
The new payment feature will be available at ANC pharmacies as well as ANC Pharmacy operated pharmacy stores like Kopiyka and Shara. “ANC, Kopiyka and Shara are the first pharmacies in Europe to accept crypto,” said the official announcement.
To proceed with crypto payments at the ANC pharmacy, users must download the Binance application and then go to the ANC.ua website. After choosing a product to order online, users will be able to pay using the Binance Pay service and pick up the order at their preferred pharmacy.
A spokesperson for Binance Ukraine did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.
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Binance has been actively pushing its presence in Ukraine over the past few years. In September 2022, Binance also partnered with Ukrainian supermarket chain Varus, allowing customers to pay for grocery purchases through the Binance Pay Wallet.
In early February 2022 – or a week before Russian forces invaded Ukraine – Binance Ukraine general manager Kirill Khomyakov told Cointelegraph that launching the Binance Card in Ukraine is one of Binance’s top priorities for 2022.
According to Khomyakov, crypto payments through services like Binance Card do not conflict with Ukrainian law because there are no restrictions on crypto-derived transactions in Ukraine. At the same time, local laws do not allow direct payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.