Amazon has denied a British newspaperâs report that it is planning to accept bitcoin payments by the end of the year.
âNotwithstanding our interest in the space, the speculation that has ensued around our specific plans for cryptocurrencies is not true,â a spokesperson for Amazon told CoinDesk by email Monday. âWe remain focused on exploring what this could look like for customers shopping on Amazon.â
The report earlier Monday by City A.M., which is distributed for free on the London Underground, cited a single, unnamed âinsider.â Nevertheless, many cited it as one reason for the bitcoin priceâs rebound after dipping below $30,000 last week.
After Bloomberg reported Amazonâs denial (on the financial data providerâs pricey terminal, but promptly signal-boosted by ZeroHedge), the price began retracing some of the dayâs gains. As of this writing, it was up 7.3% on a 24-hour basis, to $37,179.24.
As the spokespersonâs comment suggests, Amazon is testing the waters, even if the reports of the company diving in were overstated.
Last week the company said it was seeking to hire a âdigital currency and blockchain product lead.â
Read more: Crypto as a Payment System? Here We Go Again
UPDATE (July 26, 23:00 UTC): Adds links to first and third paragraphs, background on Amazon recruitment at end.
UPDATE (July 26, 23:30 UTC): Adds link in fourth paragraph.