Take out your smartphones and get those palms warmed up for a scanning, because it’s time for CoinDesk’s weekly bitcoin ATM roundup.
Each day, the army of bitcoin ATMs across the globe grows in number, and firepower. The many users feeding their fiat into these machines are not only receiving bitcoin, but helping to build the economy of the future.
In this week’s bitcoin ATM news roundup, Jon Southurst tracks down the latest models to touch down.
California
Robocoin launched its first two-way bitcoin ATM in Mountain View, California, on Thursday at the 500 Startups ‘Bitcoinference’ – a half-day ‘unconference’ of bitcoin startups in one of the world’s tech capitals.
Robocoin CEO Jordan Kelley again promoted his machine’s security and compliance features as its biggest selling points, saying: “Our Robocoin Operator shares our vision of bringing bitcoin to the world the right way.”
Singapore
CoinRepublic, in association with Canada’s Bitcoiniacs, is launching Asia’s first Robocoin two-way ATM, allowing users to both buy and sell bitcoin. CoinRepublic is in the process of registering the service for local KYC (know your customer) compliance.
This is Singapore’s seventh bitcoin machine, and fourth different brand of such, which is probably the current world record. It’s significant, especially, for an independent country only 276 square miles (716.1 sq/km) in area.
Taiwan
Taiwan’s regulators said earlier this year they would not allow Robocoin machines and, true to their word, they haven’t yet.
Instead there is a new Lamassu vending machine being installed in a cafe to dispense bitcoins to an eager public.
Dubai
Sources say there are 400 bitcoin ATMs sitting ready to go online in Dubai. Given Dubai’s ability to deliver on hyperbolic promises over the past 20 years, it would be wise to believe that claim even before the machines are installed, functioning, and filmed.
@BitAccess welcome to #Dubai but 400 #BitcoinATM are already here and will be activated in 2 weeks! pic.twitter.com/0i1duhCCXq
— Sergey Yusupov (@uniqbiun) March 18, 2014
Till then, there is this report for you to make up your own minds.
Malaysia
Singapore company Numoni, which already has two machines up and running in its home country, will launch the first bitcoin vending machine in Malaysia on Friday, according to a news report.
The article also mentions that Numoni has launched a machine in Indonesia, but sources there say it is instead coming soon, along with plans for other brands.
The Netherlands
Finally, an intriguing story from Holland. After receiving word via reddit that the Bitcoin Boulevard event in the Hague needed an ATM at short notice, Bitcoin Suisse AG decided to help out.
As recently reported on CoinDesk, Bitcoin Boulevard is the new unofficial title of two popular canal-side streets in the Hague. All nine restaurants and an art gallery on the stretch recently decided to start accepting bitcoin and adopt the new title from the 20th March.
However, someone realised that if the idea was to be encouraging people to start using bitcoin, customers would need an ATM to buy some. Quickly, the call was put out and Bitcoin Suisse took up the challenge, later saying on reddit:
“After changing our Lamassu ATMs from CHF to EUR, packing our gear, and a death defying Jaguar race across Europe to [the Hague], we set up a bitcoin ATM in the Eten bij Werelds restaurant.”
Now thanks to Bitcoin Suisse, Holland joins Malaysia and Taiwan in having its first chance to spend some cryptocurrency purchased through a bitcoin ATM.