A café would normally be a place where we would hang out and relax. We would order coffee or food to pass time and relax while hanging out. A café in northeast Thailand, on the other hand, is one of a kind. When you walk into the café, you’ll notice geeky folks hanging out and doing things on their screens, as well as TV screens that display figures and sentences. What one sees is the cryptocurrency market, as well as investment advice from the café.
The café has a calm exterior of cherry blossom trees, however; do not let this fool you. HIP Coffee & Restaurants hosts customers who stare at their laptops and nervously sip coffee. These customers are a part of a larger group of people who their saving investing in crypto which has Thai regulators worried.
HIP Café began its services in 2013; however, they began venturing into the crypto universe in 2020. Oakkharawat Yongsakuljinda, the manager of the café, said that since the introduction of a crypto themed café; the customers have doubled. Furthermore, the café provides an alternative investment opportunity for the people in the surrounding regions.
The café offers free investing advice and is considering to launch its own digital coin. Customers believe that having many displays allows them to easily analyse the market and communicate with other crypto enthusiasts.
References: The Mint
