Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
- Walmart wants to recruit a senior director to drive its cryptocurrency product and investment strategy.
- The retail giant is looking for an expert in digital currencies and blockchain, with 10 years of product-related experience.
- In July, Amazon began seeking someone to head up its digital currency and blockchain initiatives.
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Walmart is looking to hire a senior director to lead its digital currency strategy, it said in a job posting Sunday, in another sign of major retailers exploring the potential benefits of crypto.
The digital currency/cryptocurrency lead will be responsible for developing Walmart's digital strategy, the company said in the job description, noting that it enables a "broad set of payment options" for its customers.
Given that, candidates should be experts in digital currencies and blockchain-related technology for a shot at the role, particularly experience with the cryptocurrency ecosystem, and should have 10 years or more experience in product or program management.
The new senior director will also take charge of crypto-related investments and partnerships for Walmart, the biggest retailer in the world with over $555 billion in sales last year.
"You will provide the leadership to identify technology and customer trends and the investments needed to build on those trends," Walmart said in the job posting.
Another giant retailer seeking a crypto chief is Amazon, which in July posted a similar job description. The posting, which is still open, says the e-commerce giant wants to hire someone to "develop Amazon's digital currency and a blockchain strategy and product roadmap."
Several corporate companies are taking cryptocurrency seriously, as bitcoin ownership in the US grows. Leading credit-card providers Mastercard and Visa are working cryptocurrencies into their payments networks, to enable merchants to process and accept digital currencies.
Walmart, which includes Sam's Club and UK-based Asda among its businesses, logs 220 million customer visits each week to its stores in 24 countries. The company was not immediately available for comment.
Shares in Walmart were up about 1% at $150.97 on Monday morning E.T. It is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings Tuesday.