Apple CEO Tim Cook told an audience at the New York Times Dealbook Summit this week that the company has no immediate plans to allow crypto payments through Apple Pay.

Why should we care?
Apple’s reluctance to enable mobile crypto payments via Apple Pay is a bit “against the grain” when compared to moves from large payments firms like Visa and Mastercard which are enthusiastically supporting crypto payment acceptance. In addition, newer entrants to the payments space, including Square and PayPal, are enhancing users’ ability to transact with crypto. Cook said that while crypto is something he is personally interested in, Apple had no immediate plans to add crypto payment capabilities to Apple Pay. He did, however, leave the door open to some crypto-related features, saying “there are things we are looking at,” without offering more details. Cook’s commentary seemed to be more of an endorsement of crypto as an asset rather than a payment vehicle, saying it’s reasonable to own crypto as part of a diversified portfolio.