Money-Spinners: Genesis1 Bitcoin and Dogecoin ATM’s Arrive in Tijuana, Mexico

Step up, roll up your sleeve, and start smoothing out those crumpled banknotes as CoinDesk brings you the latest in bitcoin ATM and vending machine announcements from around the world.

We say ‘vending machines’ not as a joke, but because in some jurisdictions cash-in only machines are classified as exactly that, to remain free from additional banking regulations … or bans.

Speaking of which, the week began on a sour note in Dubai when the UAE Department of Economic Development (DED) told us there was no license to install a bitcoin ATM in the country as yet.

To rub salt in the wounds, it was also revealed the 400 shiny blue terminals waiting in the warehouse weren’t even bitcoin ATMs, but everyday, unexciting bill-paying kiosks. All that was quickly forgotten, though, when ATMs suddenly started popping up in new and exotic locations and even new currencies, like:

Tijuana, Mexico

Two Genesis1 ATMs began operating at the Bit Center in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico last Saturday. The previously little-seen Genesis1 machines are probably the most versatile out there – not only do they feature both cash-in and cash-out functions, this announcement gave us more:

“The Genesis1 ATMs differ from other Bitcoin ATM models in that the machine supports litecoin and dogecoin as well. Bitcoin42 acquired and deployed two machines, one accommodating Mexican pesos and the other US dollars.”

You heard that right: Dogecoin ATMs!

Tijuana’s Bit Center is a local business development, innovation and technology centre, that also serves as a co-working space for Mexican startups.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Singapore’s Numoni is the quiet achiever of the bitcoin ATM world, stealthily installing its cute and colorful bitcoin vending machines in various locations around Southeast Asia for us to discover, usually without much fanfare. So we were pleased to hear reports of another one this week, in the upscale Bangsar district on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. There is reportedly another Numoni machine installed at a cellphone shop in Malaysia’s island state, Penang, although we haven’t seen photos of it yet.

Taipei, Taiwan

We briefly mentioned the Taiwan ATM last week, and are happy to report it is finally up and running smoothly at the colorful Cosi I cosi Gelateria ice-cream parlor in Taipei. For the record, the parlor also accepts bitcoin and challenges you to leave the store without spending some of your newly acquired bitcoin on something cold and sweet.

Sydney, Australia

Australia has been teasing us for too long. As early as February, a company called Australian Bitcoin ATMs announced it would be installing 100 machines across the country. However, the company’s website is frustratingly information-free, with a broken contact form and non-functional email address.

So we were a little skeptical when we saw this story in the Australian media earlier this week, promising ATM installations “within days”. The CEO of the other company mentioned in the story, Robert Masters of Krypto Currency Solutions, was more helpful, telling us his company had indeed secured locations and would be unveiling machines very soon, but not this week.

The company also made the following announcement: “Krypto Currency Solutions Pty Ltd. have reached an agreement on a merger and acquisition with ABA Technologies Pty Ltd. for national and international roll out of bitcoin ATMs and related services.”

In the end, it was BitRocket Capital who delivered the goods with a Lamassu installation in a Sydney cafe on Thursday. The machine has a few quirks: it accepts Australian dollars but converts them to USD value to purchase bitcoins.

It also has a $10,000 BTC-equivalent withdrawal limit to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. BitRocket says it wants to install at least 20 more machines in public places, and also has plans to expand overseas. Tijuana Bit Center image courtesy of Bitcoin42