Bhutan is now the first country to introduce a full-fledged bitcoin payment system for travelers. The system, announced on May 7, 2025, aims to establish a smooth payment experience and revolutionize how tourists engage with the local economy through a partnership between Bhutan’s Department of Tourism, Binance Pay, and the nation’s entirely digital DK Bank.
Tourists can now use Binance to travel within Bhutan completely cashless, paying for almost everything. Over 100 cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, BNB, and USDC, are available to pay for anything from plane tickets and visa fees to hotel reservations, tour guides, monument admission fees, and roadside market sales.
How the Payment System Works
The payment system is straightforward. Tourists can use the Binance app to scan static or dynamic QR codes displayed by merchants. Binance Pay processes the payments instantly, while DK Bank handles the immediate conversion to Bhutan’s local currency.
The solution removes issues frequently encountered when traveling abroad, such as high currency exchange fees and restricted acceptance of foreign credit cards. Additionally, real-time transaction confirmations and free gas fees provide merchants and travelers unprecedented efficiency and transparency.
Benefits of Binance Pay Partnership to Local Businesses
The system’s greatest advantage is its ability to provide digital payment capabilities to small enterprises in rural places that previously lacked access to traditional payment infrastructure. With merely a QR code, these companies can now reach international customers by accepting cryptocurrency payments via QR codes on their phones.
This offers small-scale tourism businesses, food sellers, and rural craftspeople a game-changing chance to engage in the digital economy without spending a fortune on pricey card terminals or payment systems.
Bhutan’s effort, the world’s first national-level cryptocurrency tourism payment system, could encourage other nations to investigate comparable models and change how the world views travel payments.
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