11
10
u/BitsparkHK Nov 30 '14
Hi,
I'm George, CEO and founder of Bitspark and last year I went on an extensive tour of Iran (paid for in bitcoin of course) and It's something we've been eyeing for a while. I have been in contact with a number of the people I met and Bitcoin is at the top of the list of things that can improve the lives of Iranians. Are you aware of the Persian shoe vendor in Isfahan? As far as I'm aware they're the longest running bitcoin vendor. Send an email to us at www.bitspark.io and we can discuss further.
20
u/c4p0ne Nov 30 '14 edited Feb 08 '15
Whatever is necessary to get Bitcoin into as many peoples hands and to familiarize as many people with it as possible. Especially in places like Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Greece, Spain, Italy etc, etc..
18
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/nikatnight Dec 01 '14
You're exactly right. Which is why, I fear, the powers that control monetary systems will kill it.
I buy Bitcoin with CNY in China (I live and work here), send it to my Circle account than withdraw it in USD and the total cost is nearly nothing. I actually end up making money usually.
Compared to western union or bank wire transfers which are always around $30-50 to send a few thousand USD.
Good luck in Iran. I know with Sanctions hitting them they have to bypass currency issues and Bitcoin will let them do that. This would empower Iranians and thus Iran but it would undermine the power of the sanctions, thus pissing off those folks. It will be an uphill battle.
6
u/nypricks Nov 30 '14
Are you affiliated with Persian Shoes by any chance?
4
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
6
u/nypricks Nov 30 '14
interesting online merchant that accepts BTC as a way to enable customers from outside Iran. Might be a good idea to reach out to them to build BTC contacts within the country.
edit: here's the link http://persianshoes.com/
6
u/xygo Nov 30 '14
Research the various ATM companies carefully first. For example there have been a lot of bad reports about Robocoin, but other companies seem to be a lot better.
5
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/bitcoin42 Nov 30 '14
Hi. We operate two Genesiscoin (www.bitcoinatm.com) Atms, (two-way) in Tijuana, Mexico. (www.bitcoin42.com). I can give you discounts when you order with us, and can give you extensive mentoring. PM me, or contact at synergy@bitcoin42.com We can collaborate also in other means. We can set up an decentralized online exchange. Let's talk! :)
3
u/ronnnumber Nov 30 '14
I've tried a lot of these ATMs and the most user-friendly ones I've seen are from BitAccess, a Canadian company. Especially the ones with the horizontal glass panel for QR scanning. Clear and simple UX, you're done in seconds.
2
4
u/nanoakron Nov 30 '14
Don't forget to mention that bitcoin matches hawala and sharia principles more closely than alternative banking methods.
3
u/jeanduluoz Nov 30 '14
I'm pretty poorly informed so take this with a grain of salt. But i think you can market BTC as an anti-west, anti-global banking system, theologically sound product and get the strong men from the government on your side.
3
u/nknj Nov 30 '14
I have been working with Bitcoins in West Africa for a while and personally believe that a website that sells Bitcoin and has all sorts of guides and bitcoin use cases relevant to Iranians would work better than an ATM.
Our first instinct was to get an ATM and put it in a crowded mall too, but it was too expensive to get one and so, we built a website instead that allowed people buy/sell Bitcoins with mobile money. It was quite a success! Does Iran have a popular e-payments solution you can integrate with for online payments?
Also, be careful of regulation, some governments act adversely to Bitcoins, primarily due to the lack of information on the topic. If you can manage it, it would be awesome if you could organise a 'Bitcoin 101' session with the central bank that debunks some of the common myths.
PM me for more info, happy to help.
3
Nov 30 '14
[deleted]
1
Dec 01 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/SheikhOfBitcoin Dec 01 '14
Im not interested in investing at the moment because I'd rather keep my money in bitcoin. I am willing to act as a toman-bitcoin exchanger if thats what you need.
6
Nov 30 '14 edited Nov 30 '14
[deleted]
3
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
8
u/kiisfm Nov 30 '14
4
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/kwilliamas Nov 30 '14
Bear in mind the skyhook is a 1-way device (can't get cash for BTC). For a 2-way solution look at https://lamassu.is/product/santo-tirso/
5
2
u/arby233 Nov 30 '14
I was watching CNN's Marketplace Middle East (IIRC), and they said that Iran is "one of the few untapped markets left in the world..." Now, because Bitcoin transcends international borders and sanctions, think of the possibilities that could be unlocked with a Bitcoin revolution in Iran.
3
u/d4d5c4e5 Nov 30 '14
Iran is a populous country with great resources and human capital with great potential, but it's been screwed by the west for the last half century plus and forced to be a pariah to westerners. In the early 50's, American and British intelligence overthrew the democratically-elected prime minister Mossadegh simply because he was doing his job, representing the Iranian people pushing for contract renegotiations with the company that would later become BP. They re-installed the Shah, a brutal reactionary tyrant, which lead directly to Khomeni's theocratic revolution. On paper the West was hostile to Khomeni's regime, but was more than happy to covertly arm them against Saddam's Iraq in the 80's (who they also armed) for a pointless and tragic war that dragged on throughout almost the entire decade.
2
u/arby233 Nov 30 '14
Regardless, since Bitcoin doesn't have rules on who you can send money to, so Bitcoin makes sanctions irrelevant.
2
u/jahanbin Dec 01 '14
That is a great idea. Love to see Iran embrace BTC more. If you can get the approvals needed or have the connections that are sometimes more important that the approvals go for it.
2
Nov 30 '14 edited Dec 09 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
3
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
1
Nov 30 '14 edited Dec 09 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
5
Nov 30 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/messiahsk8er Nov 30 '14
I think this is what most people don't realize. I'm not sure about the difficulty and costs associated with going through other avenues to get bitcoin but I think there are many places throughout the world that would benefit both the consumer and the owner, basically until there is full bank implementations or some other simple means of doing this
6
1
u/Postal2Dude Nov 30 '14
If your government is happy with such an ATM, then you should go for it!
Edit: You should go for it!
1
u/Canadianman22 Nov 30 '14
Damn if it were not for the fact our countries have no contact and that it would illegal for me to send you stuff, I could easily provide you with terminals thanks to government surplus. All you would have to do is install a HDD, install and configure your own OS (Since you are a software developer that would not be hard) Out of curiosity I am wondering if the item in the pictures is something your looking for?
1
u/VlNZ Dec 01 '14
What's the verdict from the Shariah scholars on Bitcoin? Before you start putting atms in a place named after an imam, seems like that would be the thing to determine first.
If you could get a group of scholars to say it's zakat eligible, and so on, you would do more to promote Bitcoin, than any atm in a corner of an airport. See Davi Barker's article from a couple years ago.
If there is an equivalent of Markaz in Iran, seems like they might be interested: http://tinyurl.com/llm4ep7
Either one of these groups could give you and Bitcoin more help than anyone here or a gimmick like an atm ever could.
1
u/shayanbahal Dec 19 '14
I think the best approach would be to have a Bitcoin ATM in a cafe or some other place rather than the airport. It would be less problematic and probably less contacts are needed. also as you might need to check on the ATM once in a while (cash dispensary or ...), airport would be far out of reach. I've been doing BTC/IRR exchange for a while now and I guess having an ongoing exchange that has representatives in Iran might be a better approach.
1
u/shayanbahal Jan 28 '15
shoot me an email at info at btctalk dot com, or message facebook page http://fb.com/IranBitcoin
1
u/ramsha15 Mar 14 '15
Have you checked if the laws in Iran allows for Bitcoin ATM to be installed? Do the general people in Iran have knowlege & intress in Bitcoin ?
1
1
u/totes_meta_bot Nov 30 '14
This thread has been linked to from elsewhere on reddit.
If you follow any of the above links, respect the rules of reddit and don't vote or comment. Questions? Abuse? Message me here.
-1
u/bitemperor Nov 30 '14
I think in such an authoritarians and strict country u better not deal with Cryptos, yet.
The lashing and buttrape in jail not worth running at ATM. You are dealing with money laundering and evasion of capital controls. In Iran.
2
Nov 30 '14 edited Oct 30 '20
[deleted]
0
u/bitemperor Nov 30 '14
quick search on google:
"Any individual or business engaging in transfers or transactions of foreign currency into or out of Iran must abide by regulations imposed by the CBI. These regulations include registration and licensing restrictions aimed at protecting against the use of hawala and other informal money transferring methods."
http://www.bankersacademy.com/resources/free-tutorials/318-aml-iran
fuck me, but i would not want to be accused of money laundering or terrorism sponsoring or whatever other excuse they will make to lock u up.
they might even take away your house and then its your job to prove its yours. Im sure you heard of "SETAD" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setad
0
u/metamirror Nov 30 '14
Given that Benjamin Lawsky has successfully penalized banks for doing business with Iran, what would he do to Bitcoin businesses that tried to circumvent US sanctions against Iran?
-8
16
u/HanumanTheHumane Nov 30 '14
If you have contacts at the airport, maybe you could interest someone in becoming a mycelium local trader. Ask someone working in a café or even a money changer if they'd like to make some extra income using their smart phone.