Airbnb has revealed it is planning to add bitcoin support. In addition, the firm has volunteered to house up to 100,000 Ukrainian migrants. According to the European Union, around four million people may attempt to flee Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion.
CEO On Crypto & The Ukrainian Crisis
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky discussed bitcoin and his company’s efforts to assist Ukrainian migrants. Airbnb has around 6 million active listings globally, with over 4 million hosts, according to its website. There are 100,000 active Airbnb listings in cities and towns throughout the world.
Chesky was questioned if Airbnb supports cryptocurrencies, as some people in Ukraine are attempting to accept cryptocurrency payments in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion.
He responded that Airbnb is a place to stay. “Of course, I embrace the concept of cryptography as a whole and it’s a fascinating technology, in my opinion.”
“At the beginning of the year, I went on Twitter and asked a community on Twitter if Airbnb could debut anything in 2022, what would it be? The most common reaction was to incorporate crypto payments, therefore I’ve set up a team to look into it.”
While noting that Airbnb has nothing to say about cryptocurrency payments just yet, the CEO stressed: “We are thoroughly investigating this, particularly in light of the current circumstances.”
“Right now, we’re primarily focused on providing homes for migrants,” Chesky added, noting that nothing on crypto will be done “that soon. That’s why I’ve put up a team.”
Airbnb has been considering cryptocurrencies for a long time. The corporation identified blockchain and cryptocurrency as among the technologies it is evaluating in its prospectus filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in November last year.
Airbnb said on Monday that it will provide free temporary lodging to up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. According to the UN, more than 600,000 citizens have fled Ukraine since the Russian incursion began. According to the European Union, up to four million people may attempt to flee Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion.
“We offered support to governments in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Romania and even nations west of them,” the Airbnb CEO added.
“We’ve been contacting our hosts. Chesky said, “We’ve obtained funds and are prepared to host up to 100,000 refugees. We can house as many refugees as we have hosted,” the CEO said further.
