Over the past week, rumors have swirled that Amazon may be preparing to accept bitcoin as a form of payment, a decision which would lend immediate credibility and legitimacy to the cryptocurrency. Last week, Die Welt reported that fintech sources in Silicon Valley were suggesting that the global online retail giant could soon integrate Bitcoin as a payment option.

When questioned, an Amazon spokesman replied to the German publication in a predictably generic fashion: “(Amazon) opts to include new products or services only when these are useful for our customers – until that point, we do not engage in rough speculation”, CoinTelegraph reported.

Photo credit: Cointelegraph

Amazon has faced years of lobbying and rumors regarding its Bitcoin relationship ever since smaller competitor Overstock (which recently announced plans to raise capital via an ICO) became a pioneering virtual currency adherent in 2013. While multiple other midsize operators have since engaged with Bitcoin, Amazon’s participation would still be a first-of-its-kind move. Meanwhile, several dedicated services already exist to offer purchases with Bitcoin from their websites through the intermediary of gift cards.

And while Amazon has refused to commit on the record, rumors that the world’s biggest online retailer may be adopting cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum, got a renewed push today when CoinDesk reported that according to industry news site DomainNameWire, Amazon has registered three cryptocurrency-related web domains, online records show.

According to information from Whois Lookup, three domains – “amazonethereum.com,” “amazoncryptocurrency.com” and “amazoncryptocurrencies.com” – were registered on Oct. 31. The domains are linked to Amazon Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. that has been attributed to past patent filings from the e-commerce company.