You can already use Bitcoin in Brooklyn

Earlier this week we learned a Brooklyn native is planning to install New York’s first bitcoin ATM machine in an East Village bubble tea shop. So far Bitcoin is accepted at Lean Crust and Greene Avenue Market, both in Fort Greene, and today Scotland’s STV reports Glasgow’s Brooklyn Cafe is now the first shop in Scotland to use Bitcoin. Is Brooklyn leading the Bitcoin revolution? Probably not, but we’re still gonna go with it. We imagine the interest in Bitcoin by Brooklynites/Scottish cafes that use the Brooklyn brand comes down to Brooklyn hipsters really wanting to bite their thumbs at Manhattan bankers. For the many of us who don’t see the difference between these and Super Mario Bros. coins, Bitcoin is basically money without banks. It’s a decentralized digital currency and since it doesn’t require a bank for transactions, transfers are free, faster than using a bank card, and don’t cost businesses anything to accept. The value of Bitcoin has exploded in the last few years and single Bitcoin is now worth over $800, up from $10 in 2011. For those interested in seeing more “Bitcoin accepted here” signs like the one above, there are plenty of Bitcoin meetup groups where you can find people trying to see it expand beyond those two Fort Greene spots.