Airbnb, the short-term accommodation booking platform, has filed a prospectus for a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on November 16.
It has been reported that the 350-page document is a half-page dedicated to the risks of not being able to adapt to changes in technology.
The document reels off a list of buzzwords that savvy investors may want to be sure are under consideration:
“Our future success will also depend on our ability to adapt to emerging technologies such as tokenization, cryptocurrencies, new authentication technologies, such as biometrics, distributed ledger and blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud technologies.”
However, the very next paragraph goes on to explain that the “ability to integrate new or emerging payment methods” is a critical component of future success.
The only methods listed are Alipay, Paytm and WeChat Pay.
The report said that while these systems are clearly important, especially in offering access to the unbanked, it does pose the question as to what Airbnb sees as the role of cryptocurrency in its future business model other than attracting investors.
Likewise, it used to be possible to use Bitcoin (BTC) to book accommodation on Airbnb through the purchase of $25 and $100 gift cards on the Fold app. Airbnb is no longer among the cards listed for sale on the platform.
Accommodation platform @Airbnb briefly mentions #crypto and #blockchain in its $1 billion IPO filing with the SEC… but is it just lip service? https://t.co/MiFD3HynsA — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) November 18, 2020
Blockchain firms have been actively using the technology to revive a travel industry that has been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been analyzed that apps have been launched to verify travelers’ health status, the cleanliness of surfaces in a New York airport, and blockchain technology has been used in some contact-tracing apps in order to preserve user privacy.
Thus, US passport applications in California can now be paid for in Bitcoin.
Source: Cointelegraph | Image: Kryptomoney