One of the largest pharmacy chains in Ukraine, ANC Pharmacy, has partnered with Binance to enable bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments at all locations. With more than 1,000 stores across the country, it is one of the largest implementations of bitcoin payments in Europe.
Access to contactless payments will initially be available only at locations in Kyiv, according to an official statement. To use bitcoins to pay for orders starting January 3, customers must download the Binance app and then complete the purchase on the ANC website with Binance Pay, before picking up the order at the store.
This is not the first time that Binance has partnered with a Ukrainian chain to accept bitcoin payments. Previously, Binance partnered with retail chain VARUS to enable in-store cryptocurrency payments. Binance is also offering a Refugee Crypto Card for Ukrainians forced to leave their country due to the war with Russia in April 2022.
As wars and other recent global events have shown, having sovereign money that is easy to transport and not tied to a single country is becoming increasingly important, and educating people about Bitcoin in the region is an important goal. Bitcoin Core developers use technology to facilitate aid in the region demonstrating the effectiveness of Bitcoin in situations like the one Ukrainians are facing. Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation Alex Gladstein also described the impact of Bitcoin in the region in May 2022.
Bitcoin Magazine has its own Ukrainian branch, which helps our mission to spread the adoption of Bitcoin around the world, including in the Eastern European region.