After Canada, the next stop for Bitcoin ATMs is Asia, where the crypto-currency is currently causing a stir.
Las Vegas-based company Robocoin will ship eight of its Bitcoin ATMs to Taiwan and Hong Kong this month, with another 39 slated to be distributed across Europe and North America in March, the company announced.
The ATMs will allow Bitcoin owners to exchange cash for bitcoin, and vice versa. Even first-timers who don't own the crypto-currency can use the ATMs to get their first bitcoins. The machines will have a series of security features, including biometric authentication performed with a palm scanner, government-issued ID scanning, and facial recognition, according to a release.
It's hard to predict how successful the ATMs will be, but so far, Robocoin's machine in Vancouver has been a hit. Within 29 days, there were 1,576 transactions made with the Bitcoin ATM, Robocoin's Sam Glaser told TechCrunch.
Despite the company's plans, Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission will block the installation of the ATMs since it doesn't consider Bitcoin to be a real currency. Hong Kong, on the other hand, will not interfere, according to Bloomberg.
Robocoin is not the only company offering Bitcoin ATMs; another startup, Lamassu, unveiled its own machine last May.
Watch the video, above, for more.
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