Airbnb may accept Bitcoin and Lightning in the near future. “If Airbnb could launch anything in 2022, what would it be?” tweeted Brian Chesky, the renowned platform’s CEO. After receiving 4,000 responses, he discovered that the most common request was for bitcoin payments.
Airbnb may accept Bitcoin and Lightning in the near future
The user explained that he uses bitcoin because some countries prohibit foreign transfers. “We’re looking into it,” Chesky said. Users do not require permission or “services” from any institution to use Bitcoin, which is the first truly international currency. Businesses are starting to see the opportunities that this presents.
This isn’t the first time Airbnb has expressed interest in bitcoin. Coinbase’s CEO, Brian Armstrong, used to work for Airbnb as a product technical manager, and the companies are still connected. Moreover, based on their prospectus, they are growing fast.
“Our future success will also depend on our ability to adapt to emerging technologies such as tokenization, cryptocurrencies…”
Chesky told Fox Business in September of last year that they get a lot of requests for bitcoin payments and have for years. It appears like the pressure is beginning to pay off. “We are definitely looking into it,” he stated in November. Absolutely. Cryptography is certainly undergoing a revolution, similar to the change in travel.”
If we believe in decentralized systems and a world without corporate megacorporations, we may not be too concerned about Airbnb. People will be able to communicate directly with one another in a better world. Nevertheless, every time a major firm accepts bitcoin, governments and regulators have a harder time outlawing it.
The travel sector already uses Bitcoin and Lightning
Airbnb, on the other hand, has already disrupted the hotel sector Airbnb, like eBay, might be the first to adopt bitcoin, gaining a competitive advantage.
This response to customer demand coincides with a rise in competition from bitcoin and lightning-friendly competitors like Travala.com, which offers a vacation rental service, flight, and experience, all of which can be paid for using bitcoin and lightning. The objective of Travala.com is to match trip booking with a decentralized technology mindset. That is, promote software-controlled and user-regulated open-source technology, provide censorship-resistant and peer-to-peer transactions and build software-controlled and user-managed open-source technology.
As the adoption curve steepens and more individuals are introduced to bitcoin, even major organizations will become aware of the benefits of decentralization. Increased awareness can only be beneficial in the long run.
Also read: What to look for in a crypto casino?