Utrecht-based store Fonq.nl, a part of the second largest e-commerce company in the Netherlands, has started accepting bitcoin for payment. The news came just in time for the beginning of Christmas shopping period.

The bitcoin payment option on the check-out page is only available for customers within the Netherlands. The other three Fonq's websites in Belgium, France, and Germany do not list bitcoin as a payment method at the moment. The information about Fonq's bitcoin adoption appeared on BitPay's official twitter account.

The major retailer of gifts and furniture in the Netherlands, Fonq has been already using online payment methods iDeal and PayPal, also accepting all major plastic cards. Last year the company had a turnover of 49 million euros and increased sales by 25 percent in the first half of 2015. In 2014 Fonq was awarded as the best online store in the Home, Hobby and Gift category of the prestigious Thuiswinkel Awards.

Two other Dutch online retailers that accept bitcoins are the country’s largest food delivery chain Thuisbezorgd.nl and the drugstore DeOnlineDrogist. In July 2015 Dutch ING Bank, after a series of customer complaints, confirmed its clients have the right to buy bitcoin. Last week, the bank joined the global R3 consortium of supporters of the blockchain technology.

Sonya Belova