Not strictly a pay-wall but a "register wall" ...

I think they are thinking "well if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"..

I just hope they don't enforce the white listing of bitcoin addresses though ( ie transactions must be to another registered address only or it will be classed as potentially fraudulent).

In recent weeks businesses using bitcoin in the US and Canada have had their bank accounts shut down, pointing to nervousness by the banks about the rise of the digital currency.