Tim Cook says he owns cryptocurrency - but don't expect it at Apple any time soon

• Apple CEO Tim Cook said he owns cryptocurrency at a virtual conference Tuesday.
• However, he didn't specify which virtual coin he owns.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said he owns cryptocurrency, though he declined to specify which virtual coin.

During The New York Times' Dealbook conference Tuesday, the executive said he's been interested in cryptocurrency for a while as part of his personal investment portfolio.

Cook also said crypto is "something that we're looking at" at Apple, though there aren't any immediate plans to implement it for payment. He also said crypto as an Apple product is likely not in the cards.

The virtual currencies are seeing a boom in popularity and use, with bitcoin - the largest and most well-known among them - hitting a record of more than $68,000 on Tuesday.

The movement has been driven in part by business leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Tesla even accepted payment in the form of bitcoin for its vehicles before Musk reversed the decision over concerns that bitcoin consumes excessive amounts of energy.

Some large banks have offered cryptocurrencies and crypto-linked products to clients to round out their investment portfolios.

However, parts of the market remain highly unregulated. The new chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, has called the space the "Wild West" and is in favor of more tightly regulating the industry. He taught a cryptocurrency course at MIT before assuming his SEC role.

Cook spoke about a range of topics at the virtual conference Tuesday, from cryptocurrency and augmented reality to its controversial App Store and "sideloading," or downloading a third-party app that isn't vetted by the company. Apple has maintained these apps can lead to security flaws.