Walmart has caused a sensation in the crypto space with a job advertisement and fueled speculation about an imminent Bitcoin integration. The job offer was not surprising, however, as the retail giant has been busy in the blockchain sector for a long time.
“Are you passionate about digital currencies and are you excited about the opportunities for new products and companies to scale?” If so, Walmart has the right one Job offer. The retail giant is currently looking for a “Digital Currency / Cryptocurrency Manager” who will be “responsible for developing the digital currency strategy and product roadmap”. As with Amazon, which advertised a similar position in July, the wording sparked rumors of the imminent integration of some cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, in the retail chain.
Walmart ahead of Bitcoin acceptance?
One of the future tasks of the “visionary leader” is therefore to “be responsible for and promote the strategy for digital currencies at Walmart”. There is also talk of “identifying crypto-related investments and partnerships” – but not a word about Bitcoin and Co.
Although it cannot be ruled out that the company is also exploring opportunities to add the largest cryptocurrency as a payment method, it seems more likely that Walmart is planning a platform-owned digital currency. Amazon also quickly denied speculation about Bitcoin acceptance after the report caused the Bitcoin price to soar for a short time. EBay reacted similarly, although it does not want to know anything about Bitcoin integration despite public crypto flirting, but de facto allowed Bitcoin purchases via the Lolli shopping app.
Silicon Vallye: crypto plans with the handbrake on
Basically, the Silicon Valley elite seems to be reaching out for the token economy more than ever before. However, they are reluctant to look into their cards during the preparations. The example of Facebook finally showed that the shot can backfire if you let everyone participate in the planning. The crypto project “Libra” fell on the social media giant’s feet in front of the public. The approval process for the adapted “light version” Diem does not look more promising at the moment.
Walmart is also likely to keep a low profile with information. The fact is, however, that the company with the highest turnover in the world has been active in the crypto sector for a long time. In particular, Walmart is constantly expanding the monitoring and control of supply chains using blockchain technologies. Since March last year, the group has been a member of the enterprise blockchain consortium Hyperledger, which is researching the use of distributed ledger technologies for industrial applications. The Chinese subsidiary Sam’s Club is also an official partner of VeChain.
And then there would be another patentthat Walmart already registered in 2019. The title: “System and procedure for digital currencies via blockchain”. At that time, Walmart stated that it “had no plans for the patent” to pursue. Two years later, it seems to want to concretize the project with fresh staff.