Today, like many other serious businesses, we heard from Walmart some ambitious plans for blockchain implementation. Cryptocurrency, however, is a whole other story for many of these companies, and the US retail giant is no exception. The "technology behind it" is what most of them are fascinated with. Decentralized digital money is not on the agenda for now.
Well, it's sweet to see the bitcoin, which has been the subject of so much clamor and attention in the last year, finding ways to keep the shelves. Not in the price of goods, not as a payment option in this case, not yet, but as a new element in the cornucopia of products. Apparently, Bitcoin is entering the Walmart stores in America in the form of candy. Sweet, really.
Chocolate bitcoins are delivered by Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company, the Pennsylvania-based candy manufacturer. A photo published in the r / criptovaluta forum on Reddit shows boxes of chocolate coins with the Bitcoin brand under the well-known "Everyday Daily" ad. And for most of the bear market this year, the slogan also appeared for the real bitcoin.
Frankford Bitcoins are packaged in net bags containing 1.48 oz of milk chocolate wrapped in foil, according to the Walmart website. Six of those should cost only $ 1 USD. This is a rate of exchange that the crypto community has not seen for a while (despite the sharp decline in the price of BTC, the currency with the largest market capitalization, from the December historical highs of nearly $ 20,000 to below 6,000 this summer. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with highly demanded or appealing products, chocolate coins are not currently available for shipping or collection. We hope it is only a temporary shortage.
Walmart Files Another blockchain patent
Candy bitcoins appeared just as the retail chain required another patent related to the implementation of cryptocurrency technology. The documents filed at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) detail an automated system based on blockchain for the delivery of goods and services to customers. It should use drones and robots that can authenticate each other independently. The patent "Systems, devices and methods for authentication in the field of autonomous robots" describes an authentication process that uses data stored on a distributed ledger.
In the last two years, Walmart has filed numerous patents related to different applications of blockchain technology. His efforts are mainly aimed at maintaining the company's positions against the strong competitors of the e-commerce sector, but not only. In 2016, Walmart announced an initiative to improve food security using blockchain technology to provide better food traceability and consumer safety. The project was launched in collaboration with IBM and Tsinghua University. In June of this year, the retailer won a patent for a system of filing medical records on a blockchain.
Walmart Inc. is one of the largest companies with nearly 12,000 stores in 28 countries worldwide. With over 2.3 million employees, it is also the largest private employer in the world. The multinational retailer operates a chain of hypermarkets, departments and grocery stores, and is probably the largest company by revenue.
Do you think that products like chocolate bitcoins can increase interest in cryptocurrencies? Tell us in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, TheKayleMain (Reddit), Walmart.
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