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Eric Adams after winning his election in New York City
Photo: ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS
The Democrat Eric Adams was elected the new mayor of the US metropolis New York City on Tuesday.
As only the second African-American mayor in the history of the city, he wants to do some things differently - including his salary.
When he is sworn in in January, the 61-year-old would like to receive his first three paychecks in Bitcoin, Adams tweeted.
"In New York we do everything big," he wrote in response to a question from a user about which politician was brave enough to be paid out in the cryptocurrency.
So he intends to cash out in Bitcoin - and New York should "become the center for cryptocurrencies and other rapidly growing innovative industries."
New York is considered a democratic stronghold.
The ex-police officer and former district mayor of Brooklyn had prevailed in the vote in the city of eight million on Tuesday against his Republican opponent Curtis Sliwa.
Adams was considered a moderate candidate who wants to lead the highest office with a course between left and centrist forces.
Recovering from the coronavirus pandemic - which killed more than 30,000 New Yorkers - is likely to be one of Adam's toughest tasks.
Tremendous growth in digital currencies
Bitcoin is a pure digital currency.
It is not controlled by a central bank, but created by a decentralized, energy-intensive computer process.
Other cryptocurrencies include Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Monero.
Cryptocurrencies are considered an object of speculation and are subject to violent price fluctuations.
Despite the strong fluctuations, the currencies have shown enormous growth in value for years: While a Bitcoin was equivalent to one dollar in 2010, it is now around 60,000 dollars.
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