Bitcoin ATM operator Coinsource’s CEO has become the first Bitcoin figure

shortlisted for the Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Joining a group of 45 finalists for the Southwest region, Sheffield Clark and CMO Bobby Sharp will go through to the national final, the winner of which will be announced June 24 in Dallas, Texas. “It is an honor to be considered alongside such an elite group of talented, driven and selfless individuals,” Clark commented in a press release.

“We are extremely excited to be recognized in traditional business circles and it's testament to the growth and adoption in the bitcoin space.” Other names on the list include 7-Eleven CEO Joseph DePinto and RISE CEO Nicholas Kennedy. The news is the latest in a series of successes for Coinsource, which has grown to become the US’s largest Bitcoin ATM operator following a slew of new openings across the country. “...One of our main goals was to help those a little less fortunate by providing the unbanked and underbanked with cash to bitcoin, and bitcoin to cash conversion,” Clark added.

Despite the company’s market dominance, the Bitcoin ATM scene is heating up rapidly. Last month, UK-based operator Bitlish told Cointelegraph of its giant plans to roll out 5,000 ATMs in Europe by the end of 2017. Such numbers would easily place Bitlish at the top of the tables of ATM owners, with individual installs done by various regional partners.