Andy Jassy, in a conversation with CNBC after publishing his first shareholder letter as Amazon’s new CEO, said that while he does not own any cryptocurrencies or NFTs, he is enthusiastic about the industry’s future.
In particular, Jassy said that “it’s possible down the road on the platform” for Amazon to sell NFTs.
“We’re not probably close to adding crypto as a payment mechanism in our retail business, but I do believe over time that you’ll see crypto become bigger,” Jassy said. “I expect that NFTs will continue to grow very significantly.”
Amazon may be poised to integrate crypto
Amazon had been actively looking for a Financial Services Specialist who “understands the overall cryptocurrency and digital asset ecosystem” and has familiarity with blockchain and distributed ledger technologies.
However, the company released another job posting two weeks ago seeking applications for the same position. “Notable job duties include the ability to “define industry-specific messaging and collateral that effectively communicate the AWS [Amazon Web Service] value proposition for AWS digital asset solutions in financial services.”
Surprisingly, the job posting does not include a degree requirement, merely work experience.
Crypto x e-Commerce
Shopify has been in the frontline of cryptocurrency adoption among large e-commerce tech companies, announcing earlier this month that it would accept Bitcoin (BTC) as payment on the platform via The Lightning Network and Strike.
Users, however, have expressed doubt about the move, with some pointing to the legal implications of funds not going through the Know Your Customer process.
In February, e-commerce behemoth eBay hinted at the possibility of crypto payments being integrated into its platform. eBay CEO Jamie Iannone stated in an interview that the company is looking into different payment methods as they process billions of dollars on their site.
Despite the optimism, Jassy reiterated Amazon’s position, stating that the company is “not close” to accepting cryptocurrency as a payment method.