SPAR, a global grocery chain with 13,900 stores across 48 countries, is testing Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments in Switzerland, leveraging OpenCryptoPay for seamless transactions, as seen in a Cake Wallet demo where a team member bought a drink with XMR.
The Lightning Network enables fast, low-cost Bitcoin transactions, making it ideal for retail; a 2019 Reddit post highlighted SPAR Arnhem accepting Bitcoin via Lightning, showing early adoption that’s now scaling to a larger pilot in 2025.
This move aligns with growing cryptocurrency adoption in retail, with tools like OpenNode and Cake Wallet facilitating easy crypto payments; a 2023 Journal du Coin article noted Lightning’s potential for affordable remittances, suggesting broader implications for global finance.
