Payments

Selecta intros crypto payment to food machines

Image: Selecta Group

November 1, 2023

Selecta Group, the Switzerland-based route service provider of convenience services throughout Europe, has introduced what may be the first food vending machines that enable payments with cryptocurrency through an integration with Solana Pay, a blockchain-based payment solution. The Smart Fridges are being presented for the first time during Solana Breakpoint, a gathering of blockchain enthusiasts, taking place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 at the Taets Art & Event Park in Zaandam, Amsterdam, according to a press release.

Selecta has integrated a payment solution into its Smart Fridges, allowing visitors to pay with cryptocurrency, specifically Solana Pay, a decentralized, open-source, peer-to-peer payments protocol built on Solana by Solana Labs, the stablecoin USDC, and Venta, which integrates the ability to send Solana Pay transactions just by tapping a near-field communication wristband. During the event, visitors can use 16 Smart Fridges in the Taets Art & Event Park.

"Our aim is to provide the next level of consumer-experience," Roland Ludwig, CTO/COO of Selecta, said in the press release. "Enriching the whole client experience with modern, blockchain-based payment options is clearly fostering our leadership in foodtech operations."

To pay with crypto at a Smart Fridge, consumers can use a device that works via NFC, such as a smartphone or smartwatch, or a smartphone app that is compatible with a crypto wallet.