No more kebabs for bitcoins as Turkey's crypto-payment ban looms


A cashier recieves a payment via a cryptocurrency app at a kebab restaurant that accepts Bitcoin and Dexchain in Istanbul, Turkey, April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kebab chef Kadir Oner hoped to boost his new business by accepting payment in cryptocurrencies, but a ban by Turkish authorities will force him next month to fall back on payment methods as traditional as his spit-roasted meat.

Interest in cryptocurrencies has boomed in Turkey, where double digit inflation and a tumbling lira make them an attractive alternative investment, and Oner says that customers used them to settle between 5% and 10% of their bills.

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