London establishments are slowly but surely turning to bitcoin. First the Pembury Tavern started accepting the digital currency, now The Old Shoreditch Station – a coffee shop near Silicon Roundabout.

On a recent flight between the French city of Perpignan and London, the owner of the coffee shop met a bitcoin evangelist, who extolled the virtues of the digital currency and convinced him to accept it as a payment method in his shop.

Nick Letchford, managing director at The Old Shoreditch Station, said: "We are a forward-thinking business and have always prided ourselves on supporting all things progressive, be it products, artists or brands. Also, I am a big nerd and I love the idea of living in a Star Trek-like unified future – a borderless currency seemed like a step in the right direction."

He went on to say he's still not entirely clued up on the specifics of bitcoin, but he thinks it will "ultimately help address all manner of the problems" society will face in the near future.

Letchford said the payment system is fully up and running in the coffee shop and that his staff have adjusted to it well.

"It's early days, but so far no worries. To be honest, its as easy as doing a credit card transaction!" he added.