Colombian beetles exported to Japan with help from cryptocurrency

A cashier of a restaurant shows a successfully completed Kmushicoin cryptocurrency transaction on a smartphone to a lunchtime customer, in Tunja, Colombia, October 8, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

TUNJA, Colombia (Reuters) - A Colombian exporter of long-horned beetles, a popular pet for Japanese children, has created its own cryptocurrency to avoid high commissions on international sales.

"It's an alternative to be able to export the beetles to Japan or any other part of the world and be able to use it as a method of payment," said Carmelo Campos, chief programmer of Tierra Viva, based in the central Andean city of Tunja.