Quick take:
- Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has left the door open for the e-commerce giant to venture into the world of NFTs.
- Speaking to CNBC, Jassy said that Amazon could sell non-fungible tokens in the future.
- On the contrary, the platform remains relatively sceptical of crypto, failing to make the same commitment.
Amazon is not ruling out ever venturing into the exciting world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC the company may start selling NFTs in the future. However, the company may not be as open when it comes to traditional crypto like bitcoin yet.
Jassy was speaking after releasing his first annual shareholder letter since taking over as CEO from the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Revealing that he does not own any bitcoin himself, the new CEO said that the company has no plans of accepting cryptocurrencies on its platform any time soon.
“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,” he said.
However, when asked if the company has any plans to offer non-fungible tokens, Jassy said “I think it’s possible down the road on the platform.”
Despite showing a significant resistance to crypto, he thinks that whilst Amazon takes its time to prepare for any eventual roll-out of crypto services, the industry will continue to grow enormously.
“I do believe over time that you’ll see crypto become bigger,” he said adding, “I expect that NFTs will continue to grow very significantly.”
Although Amazon is yet to roll out a digital currency, it has demonstrated an interest in the underlying blockchain technology and its intention to expand into the new frontier in payments.
The company is taking measures to integrate blockchain-based apps after posting a job advertisement for a blockchain and digital currency expert to join its payments team.
In the job post, Amazon said it was looking for an “experienced product leader to develop Amazon’s Digital Currency and Blockchain strategy and product roadmap.”
Amazon also recently teased a new creator service for Amazon Web Services that many would have interpreted as a leap into the metaverse.
The leading online retailer is also looking for a blockchain lead for its AWS. The AWS Product Manager will be tasked with driving the company’s roadmap, as well as, “feature definition and go-to-market strategy of the AWS product offering across the rapidly evolving and broad landscape of blockchain technology and use cases.”
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