West Brom striker Hal Robson-Kanu has backed the cryptocurrency revolution.
The Wales international – who scored a crucial and memorable goal to help his country to an historic 3–1 quarter-final win against Belgium at Euro 2016 – accepts cryptocurrency on the website of his company The Turmeric Co., which he founded in 2016.
The Turmeric Co. makes health drinks featuring the spice Turmeric.
“We started taking cryptocurrency payments at the end of 2017, and believe they are going to revolutionise global transactions for businesses at all levels,” said Robson-Kanu.
“We’re a forward-thinking company with ambitious growth plans, so this flexibility is important to us. Cryptocurrencies are a really exciting payment option.”
Robson-Kanu was speaking after research by card machine provider Paymentsense found that SME owners expect cryptocurrency payments on the high street within two years.
The company surveyed over 500 small business owners and found 35 per cent expect to see it accepted within the next two years, and 21 per cent within one year.
Thirteen per cent of small business owners said they have already invested in the new currency and their business already accepts the likes of Bitcoin and Litecoin.
Not all business owners were as optimistic. Twenty five per cent of those surveyed believed cryptocurrency will never make it to the high street.
“For entrepreneurs in emerging sectors it might be worth the risks involved, but for others in more established or slower-moving areas it could be wiser to wait and see how things evolve over the next six to 12 months,” said Guy Moreve, head of marketing at Paymentsense.
“It’s clear that cryptocurrencies are moving swiftly towards the mainstream. However, small business owners considering cryptocurrency as a payment option should be clear about how they can integrate it with their existing financial arrangements.”