Local-search service provider Yelp now allows its users to filter their searches based on whether businesses accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. 'Accepts cryptocurrency' is now mentioned alongside 'cash back' and 'accepts credit cards', which means that at least 100 million monthly users are now being exposed to the option to pay in crypto.
Yelp itself is not accepting any form of cryptocurrency, but the fact that the company is adding the filter to its service says something about the maturity of the market. There's currently lots of awareness around blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
Last month Japanese retailer Rakuten announced it will be launching its own cryptocurrency. The company is also launching its own exchange service within the so-called Rakuten Wallet. Investors and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao believe that Rakuten's move will force other retailers, including Amazon and Alibaba, to step into crypto.
It's not the first time that Yelp and crypto are mentioned together in the news. Back in 2014 one of the company's director did a $10.000 donation to the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and Arts, in order to setup courses about cryptocurrencies. That was 16.9 BTC, which would now have a value of 94.661 dollar.
