Spar has just made bitcoin a part of everyday life by starting to accept BTC payments at one of its supermarkets in Zug, Switzerland.
Spar is one of the first major supermarket chains in Switzerland to allow customers to pay for their groceries with bitcoin, thanks to the Lightning Network.
SPAR is a Dutch multinational franchise founded in 1932. Headquartered in Amsterdam, it helps independently owned food retail stores sell their products by providing branding, supplies, and services.
As of 2024, SPAR operated 13,900 stores across 48 countries.
The payment system was implemented by DFX Swiss, a Switzerland-based digital-asset-to-fiat payment company.
According to a post on April 17 by DFX Swiss, the new feature was made possible through OpenCryptoPay, an open peer-to-peer solution that allows in-person bitcoin payments using QR codes.
“This SPAR location is among the first supermarkets in Switzerland where you can pay directly at the checkout using Bitcoin (via LNURL), thanks to our new #OpenCryptoPay solution,” DFX Swiss said.
The process is super easy. Customers just scan a lightning QR code at the checkout, send their sats, and the cashier registers the payment — all within seconds.
Rahim Taghizadegan, director of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland, shared a video on X demonstrating how it works.
“If enough people use it, it may be rolled out in the whole country,” he wrote.
Switzerland has been Bitcoin-friendly for a long time. The city of Zug where the Spar supermarket is located is called “Crypto Valley” due to the many blockchain companies and progressive digital asset regulations.
According to BTC Map, a community platform that tracks businesses accepting bitcoin, there are now over 1,000 locations in Switzerland where bitcoin is accepted. Restaurants, shops and now a major supermarket.
Lugano, another Swiss city, made headlines when it launched “Plan ₿”, an initiative to treat bitcoin and USDT (Tether) as legal tender. Residents in Lugano can pay taxes, public services and even shops with bitcoin.
For Spar it’s not just about innovation — it’s a business strategy. With over 13,900 stores in 48 countries, the supermarket chain serves around 14.7 million customers every day.
Accepting bitcoin can help Spar tap into the growing bitcoin market, especially in a country like Switzerland where the scarce digital asset is going mainstream.
Experts say this could help the company reach new customers, as more and more people turn to bitcoin. Businesses like Spar can attract tech-savvy shoppers.
Bitcoin payments via Lightning Network are cheaper than credit card fees, further helping both customers and retailers.
This will also give the company a modern brand image. Adopting the latest tech makes Spar look like an innovative company.
Being the first in retail bitcoin payments might put pressure on competitors like Migros and Coop to do the same.
It definitely is an exciting move, but not without challenges.
One big hurdle is the price volatility of bitcoin — the value can change fast. To address this Spar can convert payments to local currency at the time of transaction.
Another challenge is customer education. Not everyone knows how to use bitcoin or the Lightning Network. Businesses will need to provide clear instructions and support at checkout.
And then, there’s regulatory compliance. Switzerland is Bitcoin-friendly but companies still have to follow money laundering and financial transparency rules. So far, Spar seems to be doing a good job.
Spar’s Bitcoin experiment could be the start of something bigger — not just in Switzerland but across their entire global network.