How to pay with bitcoin or how to pay for goods and services using bitcoin? This question is no longer relevant and today there are thousands of businesses and shops around the world that accept Bitcoin.
You say it's impossible! It is possible and everything is real. Today, most offline and online shops accept and sell for bitcoins, you can more likely come across such shops, moreover, there are shops that accept bitcoins in Russia.
Search for items to buy online
One of the common ways to use Bitcoin is to buy from online stores. There are hundreds of online stores and retailers that accept Bitcoin. Each store, whether offline or online, uses a special marking - a recognizable orange circle with a cryptocurrency symbol - Bitcoin, if there are signs of such an attribute in the store or on the site - " We accept!“, you can buy millions of items available for purchase with bitcoin.
Search for online stores
How can I find stores that accept bitcoins? The easiest way is to use the Internet search, usually Google and Yandex search engines are used to search. In the search bar, you need to enter the phrase by which you want to find the sites of interest, in our case, this query, approximately, will look like this - " stores that accept bitcoin' or similar.
After processing the search query, the search engine will definitely give you a list of sites that match your query.
Catalog of online stores
If you have a WebMoney wallet, then you should know that the WebMoney system has a catalog of online stores - Megastock, which accept WMR or WMZ electronic money, and with the advent of bitcoin cryptocurrency, Bitcoin appeared in the choice of payment method. Now all online stores in the Megastock catalog have the ability to accept payments in Bitcoins, and you have the opportunity to pay with Bitcoins for goods and services.
You say it's not real! We will answer - It's Real! A small example. We have chosen the simplest store that sells information - educational materials, and accepts payment for its services in various ways, including Bitcoins. In the Megastock catalog, this store is registered under the name. Go to the catalog of this site, select a product, add to the basket and go to the "Payment" page, here you can see for yourself that the store accepts not only WebMoney title units - WMR, but also uses Internet banking services - VTB24, Sberbank Online and others, and also accepts payment in the popular cryptocurrency - Bitcoin.
Pay easily with Bitcoin
As you have already seen, paying for goods and services using Bitcoin is easy and affordable for everyone. When earning bitcoins, you can be sure that most online stores accept payment with bitcoins, and now you can easily determine which offline or online store accepts bitcoins by the presence of a special marking - the bitcoin logo.
Alexey Russkikh
In this article, we answer the question - how to replenish a bitcoin wallet. We will tell you how you can quickly and safely transfer money to a cryptocurrency wallet, and how you should not do this at all.
Exchangers
The easiest way to deposit money into a bitcoin wallet is to use an exchange office. The general algorithm is the following:
Benefits of this replenishment:
- transactions online;
- choosing the right course
- the ability to transfer money from electronic payment systems and bank cards.
The disadvantage is that the price for bitcoin is significantly higher than the rate on cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as the presence of commissions, which are individual in each exchange office.
Exchanges
Another option to deposit money to a bitcoin wallet is to use.
Consider how to buy BTC on Binance - the largest and most popular exchange:
We will also analyze an example of buying bitcoins on the well-known Russian exchange EXMO. The exchange requires identity verification for deposits/withdrawals of cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies such as rubles, dollars or euros.
The algorithm is the following:
Bank cards
The function of replenishment from a bank card (including Sberbank cards) is available on most major exchanges - EXMO, Binance, CEX and others.
Let's analyze an example of replenishing a bitcoin wallet from a ruble card on the Binance.com exchange:
The combined option is to create an account and a bitcoin wallet on the Binance.com exchange, and then buy bitcoin through an exchanger. Specify the created exchange wallet as the recipient address. So you can immediately trade on the largest platform.
There are several ways to replenish a bitcoin wallet using payment systems. However, it is worth noting that among the popular services there is no possibility to directly transfer electronic cash. One way or another, you will have to exchange fiat currencies for cryptocurrency (in our case, bitcoin) on some specialized site.
The reason for the popularity of PS is the legality of transferring fiat money to cryptocurrency sites, exchange platforms, etc. For this, they charge commissions and require identity verification.
The most common payment systems:
- MoneyPolo;
- WebMoney (WebMoney);
- Yandex money;
- OKPAY;
- payer;
- AdvCash;
- QIWI (Kiwi).
As mentioned earlier, the PS is a kind of intermediary between you and specialized trading platforms. The process of buying cryptocurrency will look like this:
[RUB] → [PS] → [exchange/exchange platform] →
Moreover, there are situations when you can save a lot on commissions (read our article about this -), by transferring funds from one payment system to another:
[RUB] → [PS 1] → [PS 2] → [exchange/exchange platform] →
Thus, the payment system will only require you to replenish the fiat wallet.
QIWI
We will tell you how to replenish a ruble wallet through Qiwi.
You can replenish the deposit using QIWI on the exchanges:
payeer
Payeer is an international payment system that operates under the PSP financial license.
Let's analyze an example of depositing a Binance account:
Terminals
In Russia, you can replenish a cryptocurrency wallet through the terminal in the following cities (according to Coinume):
- Achinsk;
- Voronezh;
- Ekaterinburg;
- Irkutsk;
- Kazan;
- Krasnodar;
- Krasnoyarsk;
- Moscow;
- Nizhny Tagil;
- Novosibirsk;
- Rostov-on-Don;
- Smolensk;
- Stavropol;
- Tomsk;
- Chelyabinsk.
For replenishment in Ukraine, iBox terminals have been used, which have been operating since 2013. The algorithm is the following:
- Find a terminal (there are more than two thousand in the country).
- Specify btcu.biz resource in the search bar.
- Enter the required amount (minimum payment from 50 UAH). Consider the presence of a commission of 1%.
- Order a printed receipt and do not throw it away until confirmation of receipt of funds.
- Go to btcu.biz, go to the buy section and select the cash deposit option. Take the code from the saved receipt, then enter it in a special box and press the payment button.
- Select the option to replenish your Bitcoin wallet.
Results
As you can see from the article, there are enough ways to replenish the Bitcoin wallet, and in the future the possibilities will only expand. It remains to choose the option that suits you in terms of replenishment speed, convenience and commission size.
Bitcoin payments are becoming an increasingly popular method of paying for purchased goods and services. Users can use this type of digital to pay for goods and services purchased both abroad and on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Paying with bitcoins has a number of features that you should familiarize yourself with in advance so that the process of purchasing goods does not cause you any significant difficulties.
Payment with bitcoins. Peculiarities
The popularity of digital money is constantly growing. Despite the fact that in the domestic market Bitcoin can be used to pay for goods in a small number of online stores, abroad the possibilities of using cryptocurrency as a means of payment are wider.
Currently, most online stores in Europe and the United States accept Bitcoin as a means of payment for products sold. Modern opportunities for using digital money are not limited to online stores, as in Western countries it is possible to use cryptocurrency as a means of payment in real life.
Having a certain amount of coins, you can use them to pay bills in some cafes, as well as pay for booked flights and taxi services. It should be noted that the possibilities of using Bitcoin as a means of payment are constantly increasing. Today, users have the opportunity to use digital money to solve the following tasks:
- Payment of mobile communications, utility bills, etc.
- Purchase of exclusive items and various souvenirs via the Internet.
- Payment for social and transport services.
- Acquisition of residential real estate, as well as a variety of luxury goods.
- Pay for hotel services, as well as purchase a variety of excursions and tours.
Thus, we can conclude that bitcoin payments can be made in almost all areas of life. Unfortunately, the domestic market is not keeping up with modern trends, so the possibilities for using digital money for citizens of the Russian Federation are significantly limited. 
Payment with bitcoins in the Russian Federation
As mentioned earlier, the ability to pay with bitcoins for purchased goods and services is significantly limited. Domestic users have to use the services of foreign Internet resources that accept Bitcoin as a means of payment for services and goods sold.
It should be noted that the possibilities of using Bitcoin as a means of payment are constantly expanding. Already today you have the opportunity to use digital money to solve the following tasks:
- Pay for goods in some online stores.
- Pay bills in some bars, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
- Pay for the services of some travel and transport agencies.
Thus, in the domestic market there is a certain number of companies that accept payment for the supplied goods and services in bitcoins. In addition, there are exchangers on the domestic market that allow you to exchange your coins for ordinary money.
It should be noted that most of the companies that accept bitcoin as a means of payment charge a certain commission from customers when making payments. For this reason, when comparing the price of a particular product in different online stores, you should definitely take into account the amount of commission fees charged. 
Bitcoin payment is also used in some specific areas. For example, a number of law firms accept Bitcoin to pay for their services to ensure a higher level of confidentiality for their clients. In addition, many charitable foundations accept donations in bitcoin. This is due to the fact that there are a huge number of people who wish to donate anonymously, and modern digital money provides them with such an opportunity.
Currently, many companies use digital money for mutual settlements. Due to the fact that digital money transactions are almost impossible to trace, this approach allows firms to avoid taxes. It is for this reason that the government of some countries has a negative attitude towards Bitcoin and other types of digital money.
Bitcoin payment procedure
Before making a payment with bitcoins for the goods or services you like, you should make sure that your money does not fall into the hands of scammers, and you really receive the purchased products.
In order not to become a victim of scammers, it is recommended to refuse the services of unverified online stores. When paying for goods and services with a Bitcoin wallet, you should be extremely careful. This is due to the fact that, unlike the transfer of ordinary funds, bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed. The reason for this situation is the absence of any legislative acts that recognize digital money as a full-fledged means of payment. According to the current norms of domestic legislation, Bitcoin does not have any value, therefore, you cannot legally demand the cancellation of the transaction and the return of coins. 
The situation will change for the better only after the domestic government, based on the experience of some foreign countries, equates digital money to foreign currency.
To make paying with bitcoins as profitable as possible, you should not convert your existing coins into regular money. This is due to the fact that when converting coins to currency, you will be charged a commission.
The number of companies that accept digital money to pay for the supplied goods and services is constantly increasing. If the government adopts the necessary laws that relate to the circulation of digital money, then domestic users will be able to use Bitcoin as a means of payment both on the Internet and in real life.
Cryptocurrency payments are gaining popularity. Once there are those who are willing to pay, then entrepreneurs who know how to accept bitcoin payments will benefit from competitors in payment methods. How to receive payments with bitcoins, in the Bitnewstoday article.
Is this even legal?
The development of cryptocurrency legislation is nearing its final phase, and more and more states are prescribing an unambiguous “yes” or “no” in regulatory documents. To the delight of the crypto community, bitcoin payments are more often legalized than banned. In addition, there is a third group of countries - those that have not yet decided. Somewhere the attitude is more wary, somewhere less. In order to implement the acceptance of bitcoins in your business, you need to know the laws and market practices in that particular country. Perhaps there are bans, but they concern mining, not transactions. In any case, you need to understand the consequences of accepting bitcoins. After all, if the client paid for the goods with cryptocurrency, then the country's budget may not receive income tax. And this is a violation of the law with all the consequences: a warning, a fine, and even the closure of the organization.
Those who do not understand this, but really want to accept payments with bitcoins, can chat with the local cryptocurrency community somewhere at the next conference. And at the same time learn a lot of new and useful things.
Money, processors and wallets
When the issue of legalization is resolved, you need to figure out how to set up the equipment for accepting payments.
comments Michael Kordvani, Fueled company: “Accepting bitcoin as payment is actually very simple. All you need to do is register an online wallet or buy an external device and make sure it is connected to the internet. Then add it to the site. Set up the bitcoin payment option, and screw on the calculator. So that the client understands how many bitcoins he will give for a product or service”.
A wallet is required for any payment method. In most cases, a payment processor is added to it in addition. Consider both options: with and without a processor.
1. Payment processors
In this case, a third party appears. The processors convert the received crypt into fiat. Processing companies match sellers with sources of money, it is similar to a currency exchange service. It works like this: a customer comes to the store and pays for the goods with bitcoins. The processing company takes these bitcoins, sells them on the exchange and receives dollars. The company transfers the received fiat to the store. The processing company takes a fee for the entire process. Approximately 1%.
The Finder.com regional manager also says that setting options is simple John Brodsky: “To accept bitcoin on a site, simply enable a processor (such as BitPay) as a payment option, similar to a credit card or PayPal. It is relatively easy to set up, but before offering it to customers, you need to understand how it works”.
Positively applies to payment processors and Chase J. Olson, author of the Coinlookup project: “There are several ways to accept bitcoins using an online store. For example, use Coinbase plugins for platforms like Shopify and Wordpress. Coinbase is the largest distributor of bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin in the world. By using their products, a percentage is guaranteed. Alternatively, you can use the Coinbase API to integrate yourself. The contract can be made in writing, as for more familiar works and services. All you have to do is post a public address.”.
2. Cryptocurrency wallets
The difference from the first option is the simplicity of the mechanism. The client transfers the cryptocurrency to the seller's wallet, and this completes the payment. Transaction time is important here. “More expensive and longer transactions are what disadvantageously distinguishes bitcoin from ether and litecoin”, - He speaks Hyun Lee, director of communications and marketing for the Mothership Foundation.
This method is not suitable for payment in a convenience store, only for online payments. It is also of little use for companies with a large flow of customers. comments Neil Andrew, Director of Marketing at PPC Protect Limited: “If we didn’t have a payment processor, we would manually accept cryptocurrency for customers to send it to our wallet, and we would check that we received the money. Since we have many clients, this solution is obviously not possible.”.
The ability to pay with cryptocurrencies will attract customers even among those who pay in cash or by card. “Bitcoin is accepted here” signs are still rare, and people may choose this store or salon over others simply because of the very fact of using cryptocurrency.
Those who do not want to install a payment processor and stop only at wallets will need advice Manny Rivera, co-founder of globalbitcoininvestors.com: “There are two types of wallets: cold and hot. I recommend using both. Hot I would use for daily transactions. The most popular ones are Coinbase, Blockchain.info and Bitpay. Cold ones are more used as a savings account, where most of the cryptocurrencies are stored. The two wallets I recommend are Trezor and Ledger Nano S. Both types of wallets allow you to create a Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency address.”.
Regardless of the type of wallet, you need to remember about security. This is especially true in the case of cryptocurrencies. Here is what he writes about it Vladimir Gorbunov, co-founder of the cryptobank Krypterium: “You don't need to tell the secret key to the buyers, otherwise you risk losing money. Cryptocurrency wallets can support one currency or several at once. Research this issue, understand the security, read the instructions for the wallet and choose the right ones based on the country of residence and the way the wallet is used”.
In general, the question of how to pay for any goods with bitcoins will not cause difficulties. Another thing is to deal with taxes, accounting and primary documents for reporting. Stores have even appeared in Europe that not only accept payment, but also set the price for their goods in cryptocurrency. So all problems are solved.
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Although the practical use of cryptocurrencies for non-investment purposes in Russia is difficult due to the lack of a legislative framework, it is possible to convert them into real money, goods and services. RBC figured out how
Since the beginning of 2017, the value of the most expensive cryptocurrency in the world, bitcoin, has grown by 250%, and its market capitalization reached $58 billion on August 11 at 17:00 Moscow time, according to CryptoCurrency Market Capitalizations. In many countries of the world, bitcoin is not only an investment asset, but also a means of payment: real estate, air tickets, equipment, etc. are sold for it.
World practice: where to spend
To understand where in the world you can spend cryptocurrency, you can, in particular, open the Coinmap service - this is a map on which everyone who works with cryptocurrency or accepts it for payment can leave information about their services. Due to the peculiarities of the formation of the map, it is not exhaustive, but it gives an idea in which parts of the world the cryptocurrency is most popular. As of August 2017, over 9,500 features have been marked on the map. According to their geographical distribution, it can be seen that most operations with crypto money are offered to users in Western Europe, the USA and Japan.
This concentration is directly dependent on the degree of legal regulation of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin achieved the greatest success in Japan, says Roman Tkachuk, senior analyst at Alpari. Since April 1, 2017, bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies have been given the status of a means of payment along with the yen in this country. In the United States, issues are discussed on how to tax transactions with bitcoins and how to prevent possible financing of terrorism through their mediation, explains Artem Tolkachev, director of tax and legal consulting at Deloitte. According to him, in Europe, the market practice of bitcoin payments is well developed in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. And in Germany there is even a bank that allows you to open accounts linked to cryptocurrencies - Fidor Bank. In 2013, the German Ministry of Finance recognized bitcoin as a means of payment, calling it "private money" that must be taxed.
In Russia, there is no legal framework for cryptocurrencies yet, says Denis Smirnov, a blockchain consultant and representative of the Lisk project in Russia. “This does not mean that transactions with them are illegal, but it makes cryptocurrency a less liquid asset than in countries where the authorities are concerned about its regulation,” he explains. In practice, this prevents the sale of coins mined or purchased from miners, which is clearly seen on Coinmap: compared to Europe, Russia literally looks pale. Nevertheless, here you can also pay with cryptocurrency directly or transfer it to rubles. RBC figured out how and where to do this.
From digital to money
There are several ways to transfer cryptocurrency into money, electronic money or another cryptocurrency, experts interviewed by RBC say.
This can be done through a cryptocurrency exchanger (among Russian examples of such sites, market participants call HotExchange, Payforia, etc.) or cryptocurrency exchanges (among Russian examples, EXMO is called the largest). You can exchange funds for rubles, dollars, Ukrainian hryvnias and other currencies with their transfer to bank cards (not any banks, in each case the set is different) and electronic wallets (for example, Yandex.Money or QIWI).
When exchanging cryptocurrencies for real money, several nuances must be taken into account, experts point out. There is no fixed rate for cryptocurrency, so the cost will differ depending on the chosen site. When bitcoin is withdrawn to rubles on Russian exchanges, whose activities have not yet been legally defined, the payment goes to the bank account or electronic wallet specified by the buyer, explains Vladimir Smerkis, co-founder and partner of The Token Fund. On large foreign exchanges, payment goes to a bank account, but on these exchanges, exchange in rubles is not possible.
“We strongly advise against using the services of Russian exchanges,” warns Vladimir Smerkis. Due to the lack of special legislation, he recommends in Russia only to store cryptocurrency and carry out operations to exchange it for other cryptocurrencies. “We strongly discourage transactions with fiat funds,” the expert emphasizes.
You also need to keep in mind that exchangers and exchanges charge a commission for the exchange. Depending on the service, it can range from 1.6 to 6-7%, said Valery Smal, editor of the industry portal Happy Coin Club. “If you choose an exchange or exchanger with a price tag close to the weighted average exchange rate and moderate commissions (up to 3%), significant exchange losses can be avoided,” he explains.
When choosing an exchange service, you should be careful, warn in the press service of monitoring BestChange.ru exchange offices. An exchange rate at a price below the market average is one of the signs that the service is unreliable. In addition to Coinmarketcap, you can check the rate on the websites of large cryptocurrency exchanges (Poloniex, Bitfinex, Coinbase) or aggregators (CoinGesco, Coinspot), says a representative of the BestChange.ru press service. “Even if you constantly use the same exchange office, double-check the URL in the address bar of your browser - scammers could create a clone of a reliable exchange site. When using an unfamiliar service, check the reviews on several sites, the presence or absence of the site in the blacklists of exchangers. There are such lists on major forums, such as MMGP and Bits Media, the press service of the service advises. — You should also pay attention to the correspondence between the age of the domain and the dates of reviews on the site. “We often come across resources whose domain is a few weeks old, despite the fact that reviews on it have been left since 2010-2014. This is clearly a scam."
Another way to transfer cryptocurrency into rubles is to sell it yourself. To search for potential buyers on the Internet, there are special sites, for example, the LocalBitcoins.com website (it has a section on Russia) and the Bitcoin Russia group in Telegram. True, in such a situation, a person has no guarantee that the buyer or seller will not deceive him. “When selling from hand to hand, the danger is that someone has to take the first step — transfer bitcoins or pay with real money — and thus take the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligations,” warns Roman Tkachuk.
To somehow protect yourself, you can send a request to sell bitcoin to a special chat bot in the Telegram messenger, for example, the BTC Banker bot. “I publish my offer to sell in the system, and the bot selects a buyer for me in Russia or abroad,” Vadim Valeev, CEO of Cryptinvest.biz, talks about the principle of operation of such bots. “Bitcoins at this point are frozen by the bot system. Then the buyer transfers money to my bank card, and we both confirm that the money has been transferred. After that, bitcoins from the system go to the buyer. Thus, the bot insures both parties against deception.” The seller and the buyer discuss and approve the exchange rate independently. Nevertheless, the use of chatbots also has certain risks, Valery Smal notes: “It is not so difficult for scammers to create a program, which is what they use.”
Shopping with bitcoin
“At different times, the ability to pay for goods and services was announced by such giants as WordPress, Microsoft, Reddit, Expedia and Wikipedia. Of the Western companies, they also announced that they would accept bitcoins as a means of payment - electronics manufacturer Dell, PayPal payment system, eBay, Amazon online stores, AirBaltic carrier and Time publishing house, ”Roman Tkachuk lists.
However, according to a Morgan Stanley report released in July 2017, out of the 500 largest global online sellers, only three companies actually accept cryptocurrency. Which companies from the list accept payment with virtual money is not indicated in the report. According to the bank's analysts, bitcoins cannot act as a reliable means of payment due to their high volatility and therefore scare off sellers. Now only three of the above companies (Microsoft, Wikipedia and AirBaltic) are ready to accept payments in bitcoins, RBC checked the official websites of the companies.
In Russia, in the past few years, few were ready to accept bitcoins - among the large companies, Subway, Microsoft and Selectel announced this. According to information on the Microsoft website in Russia, a client can purchase games, films and applications in the Windows and Xbox stores for bitcoins. The press service of the company did not disclose more detailed information about the demand for this method of payment.
Subway Russia Service Company President Olga Bludovskaya told RBC that Subway in Russia no longer accepts bitcoin payments. “A few years ago, one of our franchisees launched a similar practice at two of its points, but it was not popular and was quickly canceled for security reasons of virtual money transactions,” Bludovskaya specified. Selectel also refused to accept cryptocurrency. “In 2014, we conducted an experiment with Bitcoin and Litecoin through an intermediary - the OKPay payment system, but then it was closed for a number of reasons. So now we do not accept cryptocurrencies for payment, ”a company representative said.
Recently, small Russian companies have begun to implement the cryptocurrency payment service. So, at the moment, you can pay with bitcoins offline in some bars and restaurants in Moscow - in the Pivoteka 465 pub, the Valenok restaurant, and the LavkaLavka farmer's cooperative. You can order lunch for bitcoins on the website of the VkusLab online restaurant, and from Development M9 you can buy a brick house on Novorizhskoye Highway for 55 BTC, according to their website. However, the company refused to talk on this topic with a representative of RBC.
In May 2017, Ulmart announced the launch of a cryptocurrency payment system. “We plan to launch the first wave of payments in bitcoins in such product categories as used cars and apartments. This will happen after a full-scale launch of the sale of these goods is carried out, ”Brian Keane, director of international communications at the Internet company Yulmart, told RBC.
Other examples of what can be bought for cryptocurrency not only in Moscow, but also in other Russian cities, can be viewed on Coinmap.
Technically, cryptocurrency payment is carried out as follows. When paying online, the client transfers the required amount from his cryptocurrency wallet to the company's wallet. The offline merchant generates a special QR code containing the invoice amount. The client scans it from the phone using the application, and the funds are transferred to the company's wallet, market representatives told RBC. The amount of the check can be quite small, since bitcoin can be split. For example, Boris Akimov, the founder of the LavkaLakvka farming cooperative, said that one of the clients managed to buy ordinary ice cream from them in this way.
Is there a future?
How much the list of goods and services that can be purchased for cryptocurrency can expand, market participants do not undertake to predict. The reasons are the lack of legislation and the conflicting positions of various departments, in particular the Central Bank and the Federal Tax Service (FTS).
In 2014, the press service of the Central Bank published a letter in which transactions with virtual currencies were recognized as speculative and carrying a "high risk of loss of value." In 2016, the Federal Tax Service issued a letter “On Measures to Control the Circulation of Cryptocurrencies,” which emphasized that the legislation of the Russian Federation still does not contain a ban on Russian citizens and organizations conducting operations using cryptocurrencies. The letter also stated that, according to the Federal Tax Service, transactions related to the acquisition or sale of cryptocurrencies should be classified as foreign exchange transactions. At the moment, there are no other documents describing the position of cryptocurrency in Russia.
“Despite the letter from the Federal Tax Service, many supervisory organizations consider cryptocurrency illegitimate after the publication of the letter from the Central Bank,” says Valery Smal. He recalls that the letter also implies that “the provision by Russian legal entities of services for the exchange of “virtual currencies” for rubles and foreign currency” can be considered as money laundering and terrorist financing activities.
For this reason, supervisory authorities have questions for entrepreneurs who are trying to accept payments in cryptocurrency. In early July, Bootleggers Pub&Shop, a Novosibirsk pub, announced the start of an experiment with digital currencies. About a month later, the management of the pub received, and the entrepreneurs had to abandon this idea. In early August, a representative of the LavkaLavka farming cooperative, which accepts bitcoins and even issued its own Biocoin cryptocurrency, was also summoned to the prosecutor's office for a conversation.
“The legal risks of bitcoin as a means of payment in Russia are associated precisely with legal uncertainty. As long as the seller does not understand how to accept this currency, how to pay taxes on it, even if everything is done as correctly as possible, there is a risk that his actions will be interpreted incorrectly by the supervisory authorities,” says Artem Tolkachev.
“In order not to violate the law, companies that declare “purchases for bitcoins” actually carry out a more complex operation. There is an exchange of bitcoins for rubles at the current rate with subsequent payment,” explains Roman Tkachuk. Representatives of VkusLab and Pivoteka 465 told RBC that they have no problems with paying taxes because of the new service, since they are charged from companies in a simplified form.
LavkaLavka solved the problem in the following way: the company takes the amount equivalent to the money received in cryptocurrency from “its own pocket”, pays for the purchase for the buyer, breaks the check and puts the expenses into marketing expenses. In this case, the client pays only the amount in the check at the exchange rate without any commissions. The seller takes the exchange rate based on the average sale price of bitcoin on that day, according to the blockchain.info platform. During the audit, the prosecutor's office had no complaints about such an accounting system, Boris Akimov, the founder of the farmer's cooperative, told RBC.
Fashion trend?
Representatives of companies that have implemented payment in cryptocurrency and experts interviewed by RBC admit that this is more of a marketing ploy than a response to customer demand. “There are not so many miners who would “launder” the cybercurrency on their own in Russia. According to our estimates, there are from 25,000 to 35,000 of them,” notes Leonid Delitsyn, an analyst at Finam Group. The payment process, according to him, turns into a performance or leisurely entertainment for the few owners of virtual money.
Video: RBC
“The appearance of a bitcoin exchanger on Novy Arbat and cafes and bars where you can dine for bitcoins is not entertainment for everyone,” agrees Roman Tkachuk. “Of course, there are people who pay for services with cryptocurrency. I myself have about forty different cryptocurrencies. But still, many sellers of goods and services are now turning to it precisely for advertising reasons, ”Vadim Valeev also confirms.
Director of VkusLab Artem Laptev says that the experiment with payment in bitcoins in his online restaurant is dictated by the desire to be in trend. Since the launch of this option in early August, according to Laptev, about ten customers have used the service.
Denis Smirnov adheres to the opposite point of view. Cryptocurrency has obvious advantages over other means of payment, but still, the format of the means of payment is not the most reasonable solution at the moment, the expert believes. Due to the volatility of the exchange rate, it may turn out that the dinner paid for yesterday will cost twice as much the next morning, he concludes.
