Amidst the ongoing conflict, many are turning to digital payments. A major local pharmacy chain has announced that it will now accept cryptocurrency payments, such as Bitcoin (BTC).
ANC Pharmacy, one of the largest pharmacy chains in Ukraine, has partnered with Binance Ukraine to enable contactless cryptocurrency payments via Binance Pay. Starting on January 3rd, ANC Pharmacy officially announced that customers could use this method to pay for pharmaceuticals when they order online.
ANC Pharmacy has over 1,000 stores located throughout the United States and Ukraine, and also offers its own online pharmacy service. As per the official announcement, Binance Pay will be available at ANC pharmacies, as well as those run by its subsidiaries Kopiyka and Shara. “ANC, Kopiyka and Shara are the first pharmacies in Europe to accept cryptocurrencies,” read the statement.
In order to make a crypto payment to ANC pharmacies, users need to download the Binance app and open the ANC.ua page. When ordering a product online, customers can pay via credit card using Binance Pay and then pick up their order from the desired pharmacy.
A Binance Ukraine spokesperson did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.
Related: Ukraine Collaborates with International Consultants to Update Cryptocurrency Framework
Binance has been actively advancing its presence in Ukraine in recent years. In September 2020, Binance partnered with Ukrainian supermarket chain Varus, allowing customers to pay for their groceries with the Binance Pay wallet.
In early February 2021, prior to the Russian invasion forces entering Ukraine, Binance Ukraine CEO Kirill Khomyakov told Cointelegraph that launching a Binance Card in Ukraine was one of Binance’s priorities for 2021.
According to Khomyakov, services like CryptoPayments allow for crypto payments, while Binance Card does not contradict Ukrainian law which does not ban transactions derived from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
