Badoo expands bitcoin payment system to 20 countries

Badoo, a dating-based social networking site, has now enabled over 200 million users to pay for premium features using bitcoin in more than 20 countries as a result of its partnership with Dutch online payment provider Smart2Pay. Started in January, the payment option was initially available in Italy, Spain and the UK.

A company representative said that the decision was motivated by Badoo's larger commitment to integrate new and novel technologies.

"Bitcoin is relatively new and cutting-edge technology wise, which is reflective of Badoo's position as an early adopter. We wanted to be on the forefront of bitcoin adoption", the representative said.

She added that bitcoin's "advantages over other payment methods", along with its low processing fees and ability to limit chargebacks, were also the driving forces.

Bitcoin has been at par with other alternative payment methods so far, Badoo said. It is also considering how to make more and more users choose the bitcoin payment method.

"There are currently no discounts or extra features available when paying with bitcoin, however this is something we will look at once we launch bitcoin globally across all Badoo platforms," she added.