Portuguese champions SL Benfica has become the first major European football club to accept online payments with cryptocurrency. In partnership with UTRUST, the most innovative digital payment solution, Benfica now offers its supporters the option of using cryptocurrencies to buy match tickets and the entire range of Benfica products at the official online store.

With millions of supporters worldwide and a global, digital fan base that exceeds 7 million across social media platforms, S.L. Benfica is one of the world’s most passionately-supported football clubs.

Recently reclaimed the Primeira Liga title for a record 37th time. The launch of UTRUST as a cryptocurrency payment solution partner will evolve the club’s e-commerce strategy and expand its global audience, in particular, bringing tech-savvy supporters and cryptocurrency holders in Portugal and abroad closer to its home ground of the Estádio da Luz.

Domingos Soares de Oliveira, SL Benfica CEO, stressed the importance of this partnership: "This is an exciting day in the history of S.L. Benfica as we announce our decision to accept cryptocurrency payments. Our benfiquistas make Benfica the unique and special club it is, and we recognize that many of our supporters are now digital users first so we want to be ahead of the curve when it comes to adopting novel technologies and giving our supporters the best online experience. We are very excited about the possibilities that this partnership with UTRUST presents in the evolution of our e-commerce strategy and we look forward to accepting our first cryptocurrency payment."

The co-founder and CEO of UTRUST, Nuno Correia, said: "This partnership with Portugal’s number one football club marks a major milestone for UTRUST and the blockchain ecosystem as a whole. Benfica is one of the biggest sporting clubs worldwide and we are delighted to be making cryptocurrency payments possible for their 14 million supporters around the world."

UTRUST is vowing to completely modernize the finance and payments industry by providing instant crypto-to-fiat conversions. This partnership achieves that aim by granting Benfica access to a wider customer base and offering a significantly enhanced online experience through the implementation of novel technologies.

UTRUST’s core technology will allow Benfica to take advantage of the increased security and convenience of cryptocurrency payments while protecting the club from market volatility. It will also significantly reduce processing fees and eliminate inconvenient credit-card chargebacks and fraudulent payments. Most importantly, Benfica will be able to settle payments directly to its bank in fiat on the very same day they are received.

For the Club supporters, paying with cryptocurrency is cheaper, safer and faster than any other online payment method. With the UTRUST platform, users can pay using the native UTRUST token (UTK) in addition to popular cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Benfica's official online store has already begun accepting cryptocurrency and supporters can purchase tickets, clothing and all other merchandise via Benfica’s desktop website, mobile or dedicated app.