Square has introduced Square Bitcoin, an integrated bitcoin payments and wallet solution catering to businesses of all sizes. Consisting of bitcoin payments and bitcoin conversions, Square Bitcoin allows sellers to accept bitcoin payments “with zero processing fees,” the company says. Card sales can be automatically converted to bitcoin, and managed alongside traditional business finances — all within the ecosystem of Square, Block’s merchant payments platform. The news was announced at Square Releases, a biannual showcase for new products and features. Square also introduced AI-powered voice ordering for restaurants, and local insights from LLMs.

“Square Bitcoin marries Block’s bitcoin expertise with Square’s intuitive, easy-to-use commerce technology to provide sellers with a comprehensive suite of bitcoin tools, stripping away complexity and eliminating the need for technical expertise,” the company explains in an announcement.

The three-part program includes:

• Bitcoin Payments offering shoppers more ways to pay while “helping sellers keep more of their hard-earned money” by eliminating card fees.
• Bitcoin Conversions enabling sellers to automatically convert a percentage of their daily card sales into bitcoin, helping them diversify their finances.
• Bitcoin Wallet, built natively into Square to let sellers manage their bitcoin alongside the rest of their finances, with buy, sell, hold, and withdrawal functionality integrated directly into their Dashboard.

“Bitcoin continues to become a larger portion of everyday commerce,” Square notes, citing a study forecasting 82 percent U.S. growth in the number of people paying with crypto from 2024 to 2026.

Square now offers restaurants an AI assistant for handling incoming calls, “particularly useful for cloud kitchens (delivery-only restaurants) and other delivery-focused establishments, as they can hand off order taking, customization, and other menu-related questions” and queries like, “What is special in your menu today?” or “Make my food spicy, but don’t use any dairy,” TechCrunch reports.

Companies including Yelp and Kea are also building AI voice solutions for restaurants, but TechCrunch points out Square is differentiating its solution by integrating it “with its payment and kiosk ecosystem, making it easier for restaurants to manage orders.”

Square is also using AI to support “local data integration, including weather, events, news and reviews, helping companies to adapt with forecast-driven staffing, inventory and menu adjustments,” writes TechRadar.