Amazon job posting points to company’s growing interest in cryptocurrency

The company has posted a job listing for a Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead. The new hire will work in the payments acceptance and experience team to “own the vision and strategy for Amazon’s Digital Currency and Blockchain strategy and product roadmap.”

That could hint at a potential future integration of cryptocurrencies on the site. The opening also comes five months after whispers began to grow that Amazon was laying the groundwork for a new digital currency to use in its marketplaces and platforms.

In February, CoinDesk reported Amazon was preparing to launch a “digital currency” project in Mexico, noting a job posting that described a “new payment product” for the company.

Amazon presently has more than 70 openings for blockchain specialists, so the company could also be building out a blockchain supply business for customers of its Amazon Web Services.

Amazon, in a statement, said ““We’re inspired by the innovation happening in the cryptocurrency space and are exploring what this could look like on Amazon. We believe the future will be built on new technologies that enable modern, fast, and inexpensive payments, and hope to bring that future to Amazon customers as soon as possible.”

Amazon has long had an interest in digital currencies. In 2013, the company launched “Amazon Coins,” a virtual currency that was used to let customers make transactions in Kindle-based applications and games.  (Bitcoin, at the time, was worth about $120.)

Amazon Coins are still sold today and have maintained their value of roughly one cent each.

In 2017, the company bought three cryptocurrency web addresses, but didn’t discuss why.

Amazon, at present, does not accept cryptocurrency payments. Some popular apps, such as BitPay, allow people to exchange their Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and more for Amazon gift cards.