Uber Once Again Says It's Considering Crypto Years After Mulling BTC Payments

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride-hailing elephantine is exploring the usage of crypto arsenic a outgo method, which marks the 3rd clip the institution has made the assertion since 2021.

Speaking Thursday astatine the Bloomberg Tech league successful San Francisco, Khosrowshahi said the institution is successful the “study phase” of evaluating stablecoins for operational use.

“I deliberation stablecoins are 1 of the much absorbing instantiations of crypto that person a applicable payment beyond being a store of value,” Khosrowshahi said.

Uber was an aboriginal subordinate of the Diem Association (formerly Libra), joining successful 2019 to enactment Meta’s now-defunct stablecoin inaugural aimed astatine reshaping planetary payments.

“You tin person your opinions connected Bitcoin, it’s a proven commodity, and radical disagree connected wherever it’s going. But stablecoins seems rather promising, particularly for planetary companies moving wealth astir internationally,” Khosrowshahi continued connected Thursday. “That’s ace absorbing to us, and we’re decidedly going to instrumentality a look.”

The remarks echo what Khosrowshahi told CNBC successful September 2021, erstwhile helium said Uber would “look into” accepting BTC and different cryptocurrencies arsenic payment.

At the time, helium dismissed immoderate plans to enactment crypto connected the company’s equilibrium sheet, saying, “We are going to support our currency safe.”

Later, successful February 2022, Khosrowshahi told Bloomberg that the institution would “absolutely” judge cryptocurrencies arsenic a signifier of outgo astatine “some point” successful the future, but emphasized that the clip wasn’t close yet.

“We’re having conversations each the time,” Khosrowshahi said astatine the time. “As the speech mechanics becomes little costly and becomes much environmentally friendly, I deliberation you volition spot america leaning into crypto a small spot more.”

When helium made crypto-related comments successful 2021, BTC traded level for the adjacent 3 months.

However, his February 2022 comments came weeks earlier the opening of an industry-shaking large marketplace correction, which kicked disconnected aboriginal that spring.