Rakuten partners with Bitnet

Rakuten, a Japan-based e-commerce giant, has partnered with payments processor Bitnet to keep its promise to accept bitcoin. The online retailer will launch its new bitcoin platform and said that customers can enjoy a greater level of security by using the digital currency at the checkout.

In order to promote its new platform, the company is offering a discount of $30 on its U.S. site on orders worth more than $100 if payment is made in bitcoin. The scheme is expected to last through the first week of this month, but the company says more bitcoin promotions are in the pipeline.

Rakuten's passion and willingness to offer incentives for using bitcoin is being appreciated by bitcoin enthusiasts who say the efforts will help boost the cryptocurrency into mainstream use.