FIAP Technical University of São Paolo will accept bitcoin payments for the Shift program of mini-courses on technological innovation. The course will teach how bitcoin can affect financial markets in the nearest future.
Faculty of Informatics and Management Paulista (FIAP) has selected Brazilian bitcoin start-up PagCoin to process bitcoin transactions. The course will be taught on weekends. FIAP also installed a bitcoin ATM on campus to familiarise students with the digital currency.
PagCoin was founded in August 2013 by João Paulo Oliveira with the aim to offer a gateway for e-commerce to accept bitcoin payments. The PagCoin's payment system can be easily integrated with Magento payment system. If a merchant uses a different platform they can access PagCoin's API.
Universities take an increasing interest in bitcoin digital currency and the blockchain technology behind it. In September 2015 Imperial College London opened The Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering while Princeton and Stanford recently launched online courses on cryptocurrencies. Last month Pompeu Fabra University and Barcelona Bitcoin Community started a joint program to promote the study, development and discussion of cryptocurrency technologies.
CoinFox recently reported on the volatility of the Brazilian national currency, which is leading to an explosive interest in bitcoin. Bitcoin-accepting merchants are present in every important Brazilian city, with dozens of merchants in Rio de Janeiro, São Paolo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and Aracaju.
Sonya Belova