Supermarket giant Spar has made ADA payment options available to customers at 137 stores in Switzerland as the country moves closer to its global crypto hub goals.
Switzerland’s rise as a crypto-friendly hub is getting a new retail case, with the ADA Cardano token now usable for grocery purchases at Spar stores across the country.
Cardano (ADA) users will be able to pay at 137 Spar supermarkets across Switzerland following the recent integration of Open Crypto Pay from Swiss fintech company DFX.swiss, the Cardano Foundation (ADA) said on Thursday.
The system is designed to process transactions in real time and allows payments directly from ADA wallets without routing through a centralized exchange. According to the announcement, for merchants, Open Crypto payments reduce transaction costs by about two-thirds compared to traditional cards.
Frederik Gregaard, CEO of Switzerland’s Cardano Foundation, called the development “the beginning of a fundamental shift in how value moves in society,” marking the blockchain industry’s transition from an experimental stage to “real financial change.”
Spar first launched nationwide crypto and stablecoin payments in Switzerland in August 2025 for 100 stores via Binance Pay and DFX.swiss, with plans to expand to 300 stores at the time.
related to: Switzerland delays sharing of crypto tax data until 2027
Tether, Lugano allocates $6.4 million for global crypto goals
Separately, on Tuesday, Tether and the city of Lugano committed 5 million Swiss francs ($6.4 million) to the second phase of the forum’s Plan B between 2026 and 2030, which aims to make Lugano a “world center for digital asset infrastructure.”
Lugano has already allowed residents to pay certain municipal fees with Bitcoin (BTC) and USDt (USDT) as part of an effort to inject digital assets into the local economy.
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