- Singapore's first cashless café, Ducatus Café, has officially opened its doors.
- Patrons cannot pay in cash — only bitcoin or the café's own Ducatus coin — and the café expects to accept other cryptocurrencies soon, too.
- The café provides a cryptocurrency ATM, as well as branded gifts alongside its more typical coffee and snacks.
Singapore's first cashless café has officially opened its doors in its city's center.
Ducatus Café, owned by the cryptocurrency mining company Ducatus Global, accepts zero cash and is fully dependent on cashless payments such as credit cards, Nets, and, of course cryptocurrencies.
The eatery at Oxley Tower on Robinson Road accepts bitcoin and its very own Ducatus coin, but CEO Ronny Tome says there are plans to accept other cryptocurrencies soon.
"The idea of the café was developed because we wanted to make sure that people can use our Ducatus coins but also bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies in day-to-day business.
"Right now, cryptocurrencies are mostly used for speculation on markets … We want to make it part of our daily life," he said.
Ducatus coin launched in Singapore in January this year, and each coin is now worth about 0.13 of a Singapore dollar, or $0.10, Tome added.
With an in-store cryptocurrency ATM, customers can make cash-to-bitcoin deposits while waiting for their coffee and sandwich at the café.
Business Insider visited Ducatus Café on Thursday morning and found that cryptocurrency was not the only theme the café had dedicated itself to.
Here's a look at what we found:
The Singapore Ducatus Café is one of two branches in the world. The other is located in Seminyak, Bali.
The Singapore café opened on Thursday morning in traditional fashion, complete with a lion dance performance.
You’ll find a range of coffee options at the café, including Singapore-style kopi and teh, and Just Java gourmet coffee.
There is also a range of organic tea (priced at $4.50 a cup) to choose from. We are told that the company is dedicated to bringing in sustainably sourced coffee and ingredients.
Food options include wraps, salads, sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, and other healthy bites.
A cryptocurrency ATM sits in the café.
So of course, paying by cryptocurrency is easy.
No cash is needed, and you can use Ducatus coin or bitcoin for now.
The system worked quickly during our visit, and a single payment took just seconds to complete.
The cups used for eat-in orders are made from sustainable and eco-friendly rice husk. The takeaway cups are regular paper cups featuring a logo printed by hand.
Tables at the café are mostly two-seaters, creating a rather cozy setting.
The café has its own merchandise as well. The range that caught our eye was the skin and body-care range. This is probably the first cryptocurrency-branded shampoo in Singapore!
You can also buy take-home packs of tea, nuts, and coffee sourced from sustainable producers in Bali.
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This article was first published by Jessica Lin on Business Insider Singapore
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