Why Starbucks Could Start Accepting Ripple for Payments in 2018

In the past few years, Ripple has made tremendous progress when it comes to securing major partnerships with large-scale financial institutions.

https://elevenews.com/2018/01/24/ripple-the-firm-behind-cryptocurrency-xrp-just-added-2-more-financial-services-firms-to-its-roster-of-clients/

Bank of America, Santander Bank, and Even the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia have all partnered with Ripple (XRP). However, despite the fact that Ripple has made incredible progress in the last few years, it looks like its progress could continue in 2018.

There are a number of companies that are rumored to possibly be adopting Ripple for payments. Here is a look at some of the key reasons why Starbucks could be one company that starts accepting Ripple for payments in 2018.

The Case for Starbucks
Starbucks is a prime candidate for adopting Ripple as a payment method in the near future. There are several reasons for this. First, Starbucks already receives roughly 1/3 of its orders from its mobile app. The fact that Starbucks customers are already very used to paying electronically could make the Ripple adoption very easy for Starbucks.

Another reason why we could soon see Starbucks adding Ripple for payments is because Starbucks Chairman, Howard Schulz has made some very encouraging comments on the issue. For example, he said, “I believe that we are heading into a new age, in which blockchain technology is going to provide a significant level of a digital currency that is going to have a consumer application.”

He also said that Starbucks will not be incorporating Bitcoin, but that if Starbucks could integrate some other cryptocurrencies, then it could “significantly create long-term shareholder value. Schulz’s positive attitude toward cryptocurrencies is highly suggestive that Starbucks could soon start accepting cryptocurrencies. If Starbucks does start integrating cryptocurrencies, and if Bitcoin is ruled out, then Ripple is one of the next best cryptocurrency options.

Other top ten cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin, Stellar, and Ethereum could also be candidates. However, Ripple’s extremely low cost transactions and the fact that it can process thousands of transactions per second make it very compelling for a high volume retailer like Starbucks.

Significance
If Starbucks does start to accept Ripple for payments in 2018, then it would be a landmark win for cryptocurrencies. Starbucks is one of the most well-known brands in the world. So, if it starts to accept Ripple for payments, then it will go a very long way towards helping cryptocurrencies to win mainstream adoption.

Further, if Starbucks does start to accept Ripple, and if this gives the company a lot of attention in the press, then competitors of Starbucks, and other retailers may want to capitalize on the trend and also start offering cryptocurrency payments. The banking industry has already seen over 100 major partnerships occur with Ripple. If Starbucks starts accepting it, then a similar Ripple acceptance domino effect could start happening in retail, as occurred in the banking industry once a few major banks started using it.

However, there is also a potential downside to Starbucks accepting Ripple, if it does choose to do so. This would put Ripple under tremendous scrutiny, and any problems that occur with Ripple or Ripple payments during the initial adoption period could cause a major backlash for the cryptocurrency.

So, a Starbucks partnership would put Ripple in a high stakes situation. Things could go very well, or things could go very poorly if glitches in the Ripple network start happening. It is not clear which way things will pan out if Starbucks does start accepting Ripple. It is only clear that a lot of attention will be given to Ripple either way.

Conclusion
With major cryptocurrency adoption occurring in the banking sector, it seems inevitable, that this adoption will spread to other sectors as well. It has already begun to spread to industries, with companies such as Microsoft, Expedia, and Shopify all now accepting cryptocurrency payments.

Starbucks is one company that has long been on the forefront of innovation. There is much speculation that Starbucks will soon start accepting cryptocurrencies. If it does, then Ripple is one of the top contenders for cryptocurrencies that it will accept.

Ripple’s cheap transaction prices, fast settlement times, and strong popularity in the banking sector make it very appealing. Time will tell whether or not Starbucks will be tempted enough to start accepting Ripple for payments.

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