One of the best things about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general, is that they allow people to provide anonymous payments for goods and services found over the web. Privacy is a very highly regarded trait and digital assets, and their decentralized nature let people enjoy it.
People buy all kinds of things online nowadays, and they are increasing their usage of Bitcoin and altcoins to pay for them. For web stores and services providers, diversifying payment methods is a crucial step that needs to be taken; especially including digital assets.
A Well-Known Local Investor with a New Plan
And now, Bjørn Kjos, who is a well-known Norwegian businessman and entrepreneur, and other family members with interests in Bitcoin will introduce a cryptocurrency exchange in the country in an effort to receive payments in crypto assets at their airline, Norwegian Air Shuttle.
The piece of news was reported this week by Dagens Naeringsliv (DN,) a Norwegian specialized business publication. According to the release, the mentioned trading platform is called the Norwegian Block Exchange (NBX) and the plan is to have it up and running by next month if everything goes smoothly.
Bjørn Kjos is not the sole family member with an eye for making big investments in the business world. His son, Lars Ola Kjos, made the headlines in the last couple of years thanks to his timely Bitcoin investment prior to 2017’s end of the year surge. He reportedly acquired NOK 3.5 million ($404,000) worth of the cryptocurrency at the time, in a moment in which it had not approached the roughly $10,000 that it was worth at the time of writing this piece.
First Norway, but Expansion Coming Soon
The Norwegian newspaper stated that said investment was made public through documents from Green 91, this is, a company owned by Lars Ola Kjos. He is, as of today, one of Norway’s most notable BTC investors, and will be a board member of the Norwegian Block Exchange, which is an initiative owned by the Kjos family.
The initial project for the cryptocurrency exchange only includes Norway, but the plan is to expand towards other neighbor countries after some consolidation has been achieved. In the autumn, the Kjos family intends to have the NBE serve as a payment method that allows users of the Norwegian Air Shuttle to pay for flight tickets with digital assets.
It is not yet clear; however, whether there will be additional cryptocurrencies, besides Bitcoin, that will be accepted as payment methods.
A little more about the Norwegian Air Shuttle
The Norwegian Air Shuttle is not only Norway’s largest and most prominent airline, but it is also one of Scandinavia’s most widely known options to fly to several destinations. It was founded in 1993 and it is regarded as the continent’s third biggest budget airline.
It has operating bases in Alicante, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Bergen, Billund, Copenhagen, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Gothenburg, Helsinki, London–Gatwick, Los Angeles, Madrid, Málaga, New York–JFK, Oslo–Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Rome–Fiumicino, Stavanger, Stockholm–Arlanda, and Trondheim.
By Andres Chavez
