By: Tech Desk | Pune |

April 15, 2022 12:58:22 pm

Amazon to grant new CEO Jassy over $200 million in stockAndy Jassy, CEO Amazon Web Services, speaks at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California, US, October 25, 2016. (Reuters/File Photo)

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy believes in the potential of cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens (NFTs). In an interview with CNBC, Jassy said he does not hold any Bitcoin or NFTs but is quite optimistic about the future of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. “I do believe over time that you’ll see crypto become bigger,” said Jassy, as quoted by CNBC, adding “I expect that NFTs will continue to grow very significantly.”

When Jassy was asked whether Amazon will accept cryptocurrency as a mode for payments of products on its platform, the CEO affirmed, “We’re not probably close to adding crypto as a payment mechanism in our retail business.” On being asked whether Amazon might one day sell NFTs, Jassy responded, “I think it’s possible down the road on the platform.”

The e-commerce giant has been hiring crypto developers are experts for several divisions of the company. In November 2021, Amazon Web Services (AWS) posted a job listing for a principal digital asset specialist who can “help drive adoption across the global digital asset community.”

The company still has open positions for blockchain-focused roles such as a senior product manager for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Blockchain team. In June 2021, Amazon also opened a position for a digital currency and blockchain product lead to help build out a Web3-focused strategy and product roadmap.

Meanwhile, NFTs have exploded in popularity  with tech evangelists and celebrities jumping into the crypto bandwagon. According to nonfungible.com, trading in NFTs hit $17.6 billion last year, a spike of 21,000 per cent from 2020.

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