Bitcoin Spikes Over $46,000 As Walmart Looks To Make A Cryptocurrency Hire
The price of bitcoin was up over 4% early Monday to $46,500 as news that Walmart (WMT) was hiring a digital currency and cryptocurrency product lead, sparking speculation that the retail giant may begin accepting bitcoin and other digital currencies for payment.
The Walmart crypto position, which was posted to LinkedIn on Sunday, as reported by Bloomberg, was looking for a job candidate that was “passionate about digital currencies.”
Job responsibilities include “developing digital currency strategy and product roadmap.” The hired job candidate would also “drive the vision for the product and provide the leadership to identify technology and customer trends.”
The crypto director position is based in Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
While it was immediately unclear if Walmart will begin accepting cryptocurrencies, the job post states that the move “enables (a) broad set of payment options for its customers.”
The job ad from Walmart follows a job listing from e-commerce rival Amazon that was posted seeking a cryptocurrency expert, which also fueled interest that the retailer would be accepting alternative currencies for purchases.
As of Monday at 10:45 a.m. ET, shares of Walmart were trading at $151.10, up $1.57, or 1.05%.
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