By Pierre Bertrand


Farfetch Ltd. said Friday that it will start allowing payments in cryptocurrencies later this year.

The British-Portuguese digital luxury-fashion platform said it will initially accept seven cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Binance Coin on its Farfetch Marketplace.

Digital currency payments will be first introduced to the company's private clients in the coming months, and will be expanded to include all U.S., U.K. and European customers later in the year, with more to follow, the company said.

Cryptocurrency is digital money whose value and transactions are verified cryptographically, rather than by a central financial authority. They are seen as an alternative financial system to that of common banks.

The company added that it has partnered with German cyrptocurrency platform startup Lunu for its point of sale terminals enabling in-store transactions. At the terminals, customers will be able to access their crypto wallets and make payments by scanning a QR code, the company said.

The decision to accept digital payments builds on smaller tests of cryptocurrency payments using Lunu's terminals at Off-White flagship stores in Paris, London and Milan including in Browns, Farfetch's own luxury retailer, the company said.

French luxury giant LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE owns a 60% stake in Off-White. The company is operated by Milan's New Guards Group which is a Farfetch subsidiary.


Write to Pierre Bertrand at pierre.bertrand@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-10-22 0346ET