Catalan restaurants world firsts to install new cryptocurrency point of sale terminal

The Hotel Villa Retiro, located in southern Catalonia, and its two restaurants have become the first in the world to accept payment of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on a new point of sale terminal.

The restaurants, led by the Catalan chef Fran López who boasts two Michelin stars, reached an agreement with the Catalan company Monrealia and the Asian company PundiX - a blockchain service provider and manufacturer of the technology - to install the innovative new payment points.

The new point of sale terminal was presented on Thursday of the Mobile World Congress, works the same way as bank cards, but also allows for the payment of digital bank cards on mobile phones, payment through the app Wallet, and can convert payment of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into traditional currencies.

Victor Monreal, CEO of Monrealia, an asset management and financial consulting company, explained that they chose the Hotel Villa Retiro to be the first place to implement this technology because of the “promising” young chef in charge of the restaurants, Fran López.

Monreal also cited the chef's conviction for innovation, both inside and outside of the kitchen, as a reason to launch the partnership.

The Hotel Villa Retiro is situated in the town of Xerta, in the county of Baix Ebre in southern Catalonia.