KFC in Venezuela is now accepting the cryptocurrency Dash as a form of payment, joining a growing amount of fast-food chains that also accept crypto in Venezuela, including Subway and Papa John’s pizza. KFC plans to initiate the program at its store in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. From there, it will further expand to 24 other locations across the nation, Forbes reports.
Alejandro Echeverría, the co-founder of Dash Merchant Venezuela and Dash Text, worked alongside KFC for the past three months to promote Dash in the socialist South American country. According to Echeverria, there are already 2,445 merchants in Venezuela that accept Dash.
“The Dash movement is spreading and growing fast in Venezuela,” Echeverría said. “First it was food trucks and small family businesses that started to adopt Dash for payments. Now we’re attracting more established businesses.”
Echeverria launched Dash Text, an SMS-based cryptocurrency transaction service that doesn’t require a smartphone or the internet in November 2018. Utilizing Dash Text in Venezuela is quite beneficial as it is poverty-stricken, in which 60% of the population don’t own a smartphone and have limited internet connectivity.
KFC joined into the cryptocurrency quite a while ago, ensuring bitcoin lovers who also enjoy fried chicken are not left out. KFC Canada launched the Bitcoin Bucket, which allowed customers to buy a bucket of chicken with bitcoin in January of 2018. The Bitcoin Bucket included 10 chicken tenders, waffle fries, gravy, and two dips. Though, it sold out within an hour of becoming available.
KFC joked about the marketing stunt on Twitter: “KFC Canada presents the Bitcoin Bucket. Sure, we don’t know exactly what Bitcoins are, or how they work, but that shouldn’t come between you and some finger lickin’ good chicken.”