NanoFitness, Russia’s chain of fitness network, announced that it has started accepting bitcoin as a payment option for their tickets and related services.

According to the post on a social networking site, the decision to accept the cryptocurrency was made by NanoFitness Management after a detailed study of information technology in the field of finance, in consultation with fintech experts’ assessment and audience preferences (loosely translated).

"We have always sought to move with maximum speed and in the same direction with technological advances, closely watching developments around cryptocurrency in the world and in Russia particularly. We are interested in the use of fintech innovation," Nabba Dmitry Karpenko, CEO NanoFitness, master of sports and classic bodybuilding gold medalist, said (loosely translated).

The announcement came on January 3, on the day of the birth of bitcoin and the experiment was carried at NanoFitness in two cities – Tyumen and St. Petersburg. The staff at the fitness studios are trained with regard to qualified bitcoin customer support and there is also a board in the entrance with a QR code, mentioning the acceptance of bitcoin as a payment.