Is Australia becoming the next hotspot for bitcoin ATMs?
Very possibly. The country’s third bitcoin ATM has launched in the city of Melbourne, following the install of the first two machines in Sydney and Brisbane.
Managed by ABA Technology — the company responsible for the ATM in Sydney — the manage has been placed on the second level at the Emporium Retail Centre.
The stunning Centre is newly-built, having just opened its doors to the public last month, according to local reports.
And according to ABA head honcho Chris Guzowski, the owners of the Centre have taken no issue with the installation of the kiosk, manufactured by Las Vegas-based Robocoin.
“Colonial First State, the owners of the Emporium Centre, have welcomed the installation of a bitcoin ATM machine in their shopping centre,” said Guzowski. “We believe it shows there is confidence that the Melbourne community is willing and eager to embrace new technology. For the first time Melbournians can use a physical machine to take part in the bitcoin economy, rather than relying on Internet exchanges.”
That has been the promise since the very first two-way bitcoin exchange launched last year in Vancouver, Canada. And with an upgrade coming from Robocoin slated for distribution this summer, the machines are expected to become a whole lot more.
The advent of Robocoin ‘branches’, which allow for the easy remittence of bitcoin payments from one Robocoin kiosk to another, will turn these 800-pound machines into Western Union-esque facilities – but for bitcoin.
According to Guzowski, ABA’s machine in Sydney has performed better than expected since launching about six weeks ago.
“Our customer research shows that many people have been using the machine to send bitcoins to friends and family overseas. Many other users have been selling bitcoins and we have seen sales of $50 to $5000 of bitcoins,” he added.
It’s all leading up to a grand roll-out of kiosks across the land down under.
“We have delivered on our commitment to launch in Melbourne and we are now seeking to roll out more ABA Technology bitcoin ATMs in Australia,” Guzowski says. “Bitcoin is moving quickly away from its underground tag to becoming established as a viable way to undertake instant and frictionless digital commerce.”
[textmarker color=”C24000″]Source[/textmarker] ITWire
