 
- Of late, there's been lots of activities
in the cryptocurrency payment space.
Let's take a look at what's been happening
at a global level.
In Slovenia, a company called Eligma
is offering a solution called Elipay
which is effectively a way to pay
with a selected range of cryptocurrencies,
including Bitcoin, Bitcoin
Cash, and Ether as a start,
via an app across 130 online
and offline retailers.
The app is also bolstered
by an AI shopping assistant
called Eli, which is
effectively a chat bot
programmed to find the best deals
based on the user's personal preferences.
So what we've got here is an app
with capabilities spanning payments,
cryptocurrencies, and AI.
Super cool.
The implication here is that,
once this retailer network is scaled,
it would be very simple to
overlay a loyalty program
over the top, delivering even more value.
In Japan, the eCommerce giant Rakuten,
with a market cap of US $12.5 billion,
has acquired cryptocurrency
exchange Everybody's Bitcoin
for US $2.4 million.
Rakuten announced it had
been considering entry
into the cryptocurrency exchange industry
for some time due to its belief
that the role of cryptocurrency-based
payments in eCommerce,
offline retail, and in
peer-to-peer payments
will grow in the future.
In Australia, a company
called TravelbyBit have taken
a $3.5 million dollar
investment from Binance,
which is Binance's
proprietary cryptocurrency.
Binance's investment was, in part,
due to its desire to raise
the utility value of BNB,
which they're doing very well.
TravelbyBit is aiming to
mainstream cryptocurrency
by facilitating payments via Bitcoin
and other cryptocurrencies
when travelling.
In fact, Brisbane International Airport
is the first major airport in the world
to accept cryptocurrency payments
across many of its retailers.
We see payments and consumer loyalty
being inextricably linked
in the coming years.
As the technology evolves
and more cryptocurrencies are added,
it's likely to lead to
mainstream adoption and,
ultimately, more options for the consumer
on how they wish to engage.
To read more, head to
blockchainloyalty.io,
a global resource centre for
all things blockchain loyalty.
