Ebay debunks cryptocurrency payment acceptance rumors

Commercial giant eBay brushed off speculations that it will start accepting cryptocurrency as a payment method, Bloomberg reported.

Rumors about cryptocurrency acceptance circulated at the Consensus conference in New York, according to the report. And many investors think eBay is one of the companies that will enter the crypto or blockchain space.

“Cryptocurrency is not accepted as a form of payment on the eBay platform, nor is it part of our payments strategy,” a spokesperson from the company said.

Cointelegraph reported that the gossip has been spreading since the American e-commerce corporation displayed ads at the Consensus conference in New York City, with one billboard showing “Virtual currency. It’s happening on eBay.”

Meanwhile, American payment start-up Flexa and Winklevoss-owned digital currency firm Gemini have formed a new retail initiative to accept Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), and Gemini Dollar (GUSC) as payments.

Flexa has announced a limited launch of its SPEDN mobile wallet app that will facilitate instant cryptocurrency payments in stores and online. Retailers that are now officially accepting cryptocurrencies include Crate and Barrel, Nordstrom, Amazon-owned Whole Foods, Baskin Robbins, Bed Bath & Beyond, Caribou Coffee, Express, GameStop, Jamba Juice, Lowe’s Office Depot & OfficeMax, Petco, Regal Cinemas, and Ulta Beauty.

“The idea of living on crypto is now a reality. You can now do it,” Tyler Winklevoss, Gemini CEO, said. “For the consumer, it amounts to being crypto conscious. It’s like being green.”