EBay Denies Rumors It Will Start Accepting Crypto, Despite Advertising at Crypto Event

EBay has denied rumors that it is going to start accepting cryptocurrency as a payment method, according to a Bloomberg report on May 14.

Speculation has been mounting since the e-commerce giant took out ads at the Consensus conference in New York City.

"Virtual Currency. It's happening on eBay."

It has been suggested that this week's surge in crypto prices, which has happened without explanation, was linked to hopes that eBay was preparing to embrace crypto.

"Cryptocurrency is not accepted as a form of payment on the eBay platform, nor is it part of our payments strategy."

The online marketplace does currently have a section marked Virtual Currency, where people can use traditional monetary forms to purchase crypto from sellers.

The eBay clarification is not the only rumor that has been discredited over recent days.

Excitement had started to build in the crypto community in April when a tweet suggested that TD Ameritrade, which holds an estimated $1.3 trillion in assets, was testing bitcoin and litecoin spot trading on its brokerage.

Despite these denials, other major brands have confirmed this week that they will allow customers to spend crypto in their stores.

On the first day of the Consensus conference, the likes of Whole Foods Market, Barnes & Noble and Bed Bath & Beyond were confirmed as launch partners for a new app called Spedn, which facilitates crypto transactions via the Flexa network.