Binance partners with Ukraine’s ANC Pharmacy to enable crypto payments

By Gloria Methri

Pharmacies in Ukraine are embracing digital payments amid the ongoing war, with a major local pharmacy chain, enabling payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). ANC Pharmacy, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, has partnered with Binance to debut cryptocurrency payments via Binance Pay.

Starting from January 3, ANC Pharmacy has enabled its customers to proceed with instant payments while purchasing pharmacy products online. The company operates more than 1,000 pharmacies across Ukraine and also runs its pharmacy service online.

Binance Pay payments will be initially rolled out in pharmacies in the capital Kyiv. The new payment feature will be available at ANC pharmacies as well as pharmacy stores like Kopiyka and Shara.

“ANC, Kopiyka, and Shara are the first pharmacies in Europe to accept crypto,” the company said in an official announcement.

To proceed with a crypto payment at ANC pharmacies, users need to download the Binance application and then go to the ANC.ua website. After choosing a product to order online, users will be able to pay using the Binance Pay service and pick up the order at a preferred pharmacy.

The crypto exchange has been actively pushing its presence in Ukraine over the past few years. In September 2022, it partnered with the Ukrainian supermarket chain Varus, allowing customers to pay for grocery purchases through Binance Pay Wallet.

In early February 2022 — weeks before Ukraine’s invasion — Binance Ukraine’s general manager Kirill Khomyakov said that launching a Binance Card in the country was one of its top priorities for 2022. According to Khomyakov, crypto payment services do not conflict with Ukrainian laws because there is no ban on crypto-derived transactions in Ukraine. At the same time, local laws do not allow direct payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.