Japan-based company employees can get paid in Bitcoin

Not only does Bitcoin continue its upward trajectory in price and popularity, it is being integrated onto the mainstream financial market through Bitcoin futures. CBOE and CME have already launched the products, with Nasdaq set to do the same next year.

Thanks to a multi-billion-dollar company in Japan, it’s global adoption is also well underway. GMO Internet Group, who is worth about $240 billion, will soon be giving their employee the option of being partially paid in Bitcoin from February 2018.

The group currently has over 4,000 employees, of which all will have the option of receiving about $890 worth of Bitcoin every month.

Harumi Ishii, who is a spokesperson for GMO, has previously said that the company has an interest in exploring Bitcoin to determine how it can be applied in mainstream society.

The Guardian reported that Ishii had this to say:

“Employees can receive salaries by Bitcoin if they want to. We hope to improve our own literacy of virtual currency by actually using it.”

This isn’t GMO’s first foray into the industry. The group’s website shows that they successfully launched a Bitcoin exchange earlier in this year, with mining operations set to begin in 2018.

By offering employees this new payment scheme, they can easily be introduced to all of the benefits related to cryptocurrencies, and Bitcoin in particular. The latter has had an amazing year, filled with drastic price increases and phenomenal growth. In fact, Bitcoin has grown by over 1,700% in this year alone. December saw the most action, with the currency growing more than 80% in this month.

If you think about it, paying a certain portion of employees’ salaries in Bitcoin is similar to offering workers traditional pension and investment options. In fact, based on the financial industry’s keen interest in Bitcoin, the currency is seen as a solid investment asset.

Employees at GMO can choose to hold onto their bitcoins until it reaches that predicted $50k mark, and cash out. Alternatively, the can draw it out along with their traditional salary as an income supplement.

This is just another way that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general are disrupting the financial industry, who rely on outdated and strict processes and regulations to centralize money.

Digital currencies give their holders the power over what happens with their wealth by providing them with complete autonomy over their money.

Author : Jack Dean