What sounds like a dream for an entire industry is now possible: paying directly with cryptocurrencies at conventional card terminals in stores. And with many supported currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and USDC - without any additional billing effort for the merchant. The payment provider wallee and Ammer Group are providing the technical implementation for this.

Zurich, 25.11.2024 – Cryptocurrencies can now be used to make payments: as easily as euros or Swiss francs, and as conveniently as a traditional credit card or Twint. The debate is at least as old as cryptocurrencies themselves. Are cryptos just a store of value or an active means of payment, and where can they be used? One thing is certain: Cryptocurrencies will only become increasingly important as an alternative means of payment if they are widely accepted.

Accepting cryptocurrencies in shops is a big step in this direction: the Swiss company wallee Group AG and Ammer Group AG have developed an app that turns standard payment terminals into cryptocurrency acceptance points. The process is as easy as paying with a credit card or QR code, and there is no additional accounting involved for either the merchant or the customer.

Sascha Krüsi, CXO of Wallee Group AG, comments: "With our payment solution, cryptocurrency is no longer a speculative object but a real means of payment – directly at the point of sale and as easy as a card payment."

Victor Ammer, Founder & Chairman of Ammer Group AG says: "I am very pleased to announce the partnership with Wallee Group AG after months of intensive work. This is an important milestone in the acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in Switzerland. We are convinced that with Wallee Group AG we have a strong partner at our side to establish our vision of crypto payments in the mass market."

Ammer Pay for wallee terminals

Merchants can now download the Ammer Pay app directly onto their wallee payment terminal and extend their functionality and services for customers with a single click. All they need is a free account with Ammer Pay and a cryptocurrency acceptance agreement. The app can be downloaded directly to the terminal from the wallee portal and is ready to use in just a few steps.

Customers can pay with cryptocurrencies

Once the app is activated on the merchant's wallee payment terminal, customers can pay directly at checkout with their favourite cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT). The merchant simply clicks to switch to the Ammer Pay app on the terminal, enters the desired amount in Swiss francs and the customer can pay with their crypto wallet and the desired cryptocurrency. Either a QR code is generated and displayed on the terminal or contactless payment is possible - just like with a credit card or Apple Pay.

No additional accounting for merchants

There is no additional accounting work for the merchant, as the transactions in the selected cryptocurrency are converted directly into the target currency Swiss francs and paid out as usual with a merchant notice. This way, merchants have full transparency of the cryptocurrency volumes and transactions processed, while avoiding their own accounting work and the associated currency risks.

A step towards further mass adoption of cryptocurrencies

With the Ammer Pay app on Wallee terminals, payment terminals can now accept payments in various cryptocurrencies. This means that customers can now pay with their BTC, ETH, USDT and other cryptocurrencies in regular shops. This is a big step towards opening up cryptocurrencies to the mass market and giving customers access to the many benefits of fast transactions with cryptocurrencies.

Ammer Pay is now available on Wallee terminals and can be selected and installed on the Wallee portal. The app is available for all Android-based wallee mobile terminals, including the PAX A77 wallee and PAX A920Pro wallee.