Eric Adams says he wants his first three pay cheques as New York mayor to be paid in bitcoin and he will work to make the city the “centre of the cryptocurrency industry”.
Key points:
- Mr Adams said he wanted to create a New York City cryptocurrency
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez had already said he would also take his next pay cheque in bitcoin
- Mr Adams will become the second black mayor of the United States’ most populous city
“In New York we always go big, so I’m going to take my first three paychecks in bitcoin when I become mayor,” Mr Adams wrote in a Twitter post.
“NYC is going to be the center of the cryptocurrency industry and other fast-growing, innovative industries! Just wait!”
Mr Adams, a Democrat, will in January become the second black mayor of the United States’ most populous city.
He easily defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels civilian safety patrol, in Tuesday’s election.
His post was a response to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who wrote in a Twitter message of his own that he would take his pay cheque in bitcoin.
Loading
Mr Suarez won re-election on Tuesday.
Mr Adams told Bloomberg Radio on Wednesday he wanted to create a New York City cryptocurrency and he would look at ways to entice crypto companies to invest in the city.
US media outlets Forbes and NBC News reported the New York City Department of Finance was yet to comment on whether Mr Adam’s request to be paid in cryptocurrency would be approved.
Reuters
