The company will offer discounts to Bitcoin users for a limited time
Elektra is the first chain of retail stores in the country to accept Bitcoin, the company announced on its website this week, explaining that it will offer a 20% discount to customers who pay with the cryptocurrency. Elektra will accept Bitcoin through the cryptocurrency payment platform BitPay.
Ricardo Salinas Pliego, the owner of Grupo Elektra as well as Banco Azteca, is a Bitcoin enthusiast and had previously hinted that Elektra might accept it as payment. In June, he announced that Banco Azteca would be the first bank to accept Bitcoin.
But that announcement was premature: in response, financial authorities proclaimed that the unregulated cryptocurrency was not legal tender, and any banks that accepted it would be subject to sanctions. Some opponents warn that the electronic currency could be used for tax evasion and to conduct illegal transactions.
