Tim Cook, "Holding Cryptocurrency... No Apple-Level Investment" (Comprehensive)

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that he has personally invested in cryptocurrency. However, he also stated that Apple has no plans to directly invest in cryptocurrency or launch related services for the time being.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg reported on the 9th (local time) that in a pre-recorded interview released at the New York Times (NYT) DealBook Online Summit, Cook was asked whether he holds cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. He responded, "Yes. I think holding (cryptocurrency) is reasonable from the perspective of portfolio diversification."

Cook added, "I have been interested in digital currency for some time and have researched related materials."

However, he drew a line on the possibility of Apple using its cash assets to invest in cryptocurrency.

He said, "Investors would not buy Apple stock to be exposed to the risks of cryptocurrency investment," indicating that there will be no direct cryptocurrency investment at the Apple level.

Cook also stated that there are no plans in the near future to support cryptocurrency in Apple’s payment service, Apple Pay.

However, from a long-term perspective, Apple might release cryptocurrency-related products or services. CNBC reported that in 2019, an Apple Pay official said cryptocurrency has "long-term potential."

On this day, Cook also added, "We are looking into other areas of cryptocurrency." He did not specify what particular products or services are being considered.

Along with this, Cook expressed interest in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which have recently attracted significant market attention.

Cook said that while it will take a long time for NFTs to become commercialized in the market, he still finds NFTs "interesting."

Previously, as major tech companies have been adopting cryptocurrency one after another, there have been criticisms that Apple is lagging behind. Both Square and PayPal, the two major electronic payment companies in the U.S., have introduced cryptocurrency payment functions, and Amazon and eBay have announced plans to allow cryptocurrency as a payment method.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.