美联储主席称不会插手比特币

    比特币爱好者刚刚经历了动荡的一周。世界最大的比特币交易所Mt. Gox倒闭，动摇了投资者对这种货币的信心，打压了比特币价格，导致它在2月25日下跌到了418.78美元的低点，远远低于几个月前的1,151美元。

    此后，比特币已经收复部分下跌的价值，但这一事件已经让很多人开始担忧这个世界最知名的电子加密货币的未来。但可以肯定的一点是：比特币面临的最大挑战并不是来自与比特币相关机构的倒闭，而是美联储（Federal Reserve）等公共监督机构可能通过严厉法规予以打击的可能性。

    正因如此，美联储主席詹尼特•耶伦明确有力地表态，美联储不会很快成为这种货币的监管机构，比特币的拥趸们可以长舒一口气了。“这是一种银行领域之外的创新支付方式，理解这一点很重要。”耶伦在上周四早晨参加参议院银行委员会（Senate Banking Committee）听证会时表示。“很简单，美联储就是没有权利通过任何方式对比特币进行监管。”

    这个回答是对西维吉尼亚州参议员乔•曼钦有关比特币问题的回应，而这类问题难掩对这种货币的深度怀疑。曼欣称，比特币是一种“不稳定货币”，他认为这种货币主要用于非法活动。耶伦表态称，Fed没有权利监管比特币，曼欣看起来也很失望。他认为，比特币和美联储监管的银行领域未来将出现交叉。

    耶伦并没有让步，她告诉曼欣称，如果他希望美联储对这种货币进行进一步监管，美国国会可以采取行动要求这么做。她表示，否则，任何法规都应接受美国司法部和美国财政部的管辖。（财富中文网）

    Bitcoin enthusiasts have had a rough week. The collapse of the world's largest bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, shook investors faith in the currency, sending the price of bitcoin to a low of $418.78 on Feb. 25 from a high of $1,151 just a few months before.

    The currency has since recovered some of that lost value, but the incident has left many wondering about the future of the world's most famous cryptocurrency. One thing is for sure, though: the biggest threat to bitcoin isn't from the failure of private bitcoin-related institutions but the chance that public regulators like the Federal Reserve will crack down hard with stifling regulations.

    That's why bitcoin boosters should have let out a sigh of relief when Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in no uncertain terms that her institution will not be regulating the currency anytime soon. "It's important to understand that this is a payment innovation that's happening outside the banking industry," Yellen said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday morning. "The Federal Reserve simply does not have the authority to regulate bitcoin in any way."

    The answer came in response to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin's questions about bitcoin, which belied intense distrust of the currency. Manchin called bitcoin an "unstable currency" that he believes is being used mostly for illegal activities. Manchin was seemingly disappointed with Yellen's statement that the Fed had no authority to regulate bitcoin, saying he believed there would be an intersection between bitcoin and Fed-regulated banks in the near future.

    Yellen didn't budge, telling Manchin that if he wanted further oversight of the currency, Congress could take action to require it. Otherwise, she said, any regulation would be under the purview of the Justice Department and the Treasury Department.