- The Central American Country, Costa Rica, permits seven ATMs to exchange bitcoin.
The Fraud and Cybercrime prosecutor, Carlos Castro Sojo, made the following announcement on this Monday. He shared the information of new ATMs on Radio Columbia. There are seven ATMs that will allow the exchange of bitcoins for colones.
Bitcoin ATMs in Costa Rica
In the announcement, Castro added, “In our country, there are seven bitcoin ATMs precisely because their use is increasing. They are used to purchase direct goods in stores or also to carry the so-called ‘smart contract’, which are digital contracts.”
He further said, “This placement of ATMs allows you as an interested party to acquire or convert cryptocurrencies into national currency and make the withdrawal.” Whereas the locality of these ATMs is not revealed by Castro yet.
Castro also shared that some businesses allowed cryptocurrencies as a payment tool in the western area of San Jose, all over in Guanacaste, Bahia Ballena, and Uvita de Osa. Also, the cryptocurrencies are not regulated as colon or world currency, but can be used to trade and receive the currency.
In addition, Castro further clarified that cryptocurrencies are not banned in Costa Rica. Even Costa Ricans now more frequently use cryptocurrencies for payments.
Additionally, Castro said, “At the level of Costa Rica and the world, its use is becoming more widespread, it is used more and more as a means of payment, as a form of investment. People are very interested in acquiring a currency that they do not have on hand in their pocket, such as a bill or a coin.”
He further explained, “They intend to acquire them in order to use them for payments and services, but also for investment, by acquiring them and letting their value fluctuate, so that when it becomes attractive for sale, the sale is made and a profit is obtained,” in his announcement.
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2022/08/24/costa-rica-allowed-exchange-of-bitcoin-for-colones/