Proton NO Bitc in

PETALING JAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (Proton) yesterday suspended one of its dealers that announced on Thursday its willingness to accept Bitcoin as payment to purchase Proton cars.

In a statement yesterday, Proton said it does not recognise Bitcoin and ethereum payment methods.

It said it was suspending the operations of the dealer pending further investigations.

Commenting on reports that have gone viral on social media, Proton said the offer to accept cryptocurrrency payment methods for the purchase of Proton cars had been independently initiated by the dealer.

“While we encourage innovative ways to increase sales, promotional

activities must adhere to our guidelines and be endorsed by the major shareholder of the car manufacturer,” Proton vice-president of sales and marketing Abdul Rashid Musa said.

Proton, which sold 70,991 units last year compared with 72,291 in 2016, had earlier attributed the sales decline to lower demand from the taxi industry.

In an immediate response, Tony Yeu, owner of the company involved, Anjur Kayangan Auto Sdn Bhd, told theSun that he would go ahead and accept the cryptocurrency payment methods despite Proton not recognising them.

Although no transaction has been made so far, Yeu said there had been an increase in the number of inquiries from prospective customers since he put a banner up last Thursday night to announce his willingness to accept Bitcoin.

“Before this, business was not doing too well. I needed a way to attract more customers and I didn’t want to offer free gifts or discounts as it will jeopardise the market,” he said.

“This is just a payment method we offer our customers as Bitcoin is not illegal. If anyone pays us in cryptocurrency, it will be transferred to my personal Bitcoin account, and I will make payment to Proton by cash,” he said.

One Bitcoin is valued at about RM67,000.