Digital payments provider Flexa has introduced the first NFC-enabled crypto payments directly from hardware wallets.
Flexa’s new system allows users to pay with crypto at retail locations using NFC-enabled hardware wallets, without a mobile device. Initially supporting wallets like Burner, it enables secure blockchain transactions at the point-of-sale (POS), similar to contactless card payments.
Trevor Filter, Co-Founder of Flexa, commented: “Flexa is resolutely dedicated to making paying with digital currency easier, safer, and faster than using a credit or debit card. By enabling the first NFC-based crypto payments directly from hardware wallets, we’re providing a better, more instant way to spend digital assets on the go.”
Users can complete transactions by entering their PIN on a Flexa-enabled POS device and tapping their Burner card, which processes the payment on the blockchain.
This feature will initially be available to users with supported hardware wallets and at merchants using Flexa’s POS app for iPhone and Android, with plans for wider adoption as more merchants join. Flexa also aims to extend support to offline payments via mobile wallets that integrate the Flexa SDK.
While crypto is gaining traction, it still has a long way to go before it competes with FIAT currencies in physical retail stores. One challenge is that most cryptocurrency payments currently rely on mobile phones and active internet connections, an issue that Flexa’s product seeks to resolve.
“Burners epitomise speed and simplicity, and tap-to-pay payments at retail take that to the next level. Instead of scanning QR codes or fumbling with apps, users can just tap their Burner and go,” said Cameron Roberston, Founder and CEO at Arx Research.
“Working with Flexa means we’re making crypto as easy to spend as cash – without sacrificing control or security.”
Elsewhere in crypto payments, the Avalanche Foundation officially launched the Avalanche Card earlier this week, a cryptocurrency card that can be accepted anywhere Visa is eligible.
