虚拟货币渐成洗钱利器

    确实，美欧当局早已开始担心比特币的价值可能迅速增长，成为一大问题。美国联邦调查局（FBI）在今年春季的一份报告中建议，比特币的第三方交易平台必须遵守银行（理应）遵守的反洗钱规定。

    “美国政府对于这些交易平台没有多大影响力，”卡耐基梅隆大学（Carnegie Mellon University）教授、密码与安全专家尼古拉斯•克里斯蒂安告诉《财富》杂志（Fortune)称。“目前尚不清楚这些交易平台是什么状况。它们是否出售货币产品，是否在销售一些金融产品或一些不存在的东西？”

    但我们确切知道的是，比特币在一些法律监管的灰色地带中运作。目前比特币交易完全不受监管，也不受美国和国际银行法规的管辖。虽然这对于那些想躲在暗处的人们是件好事，但反过来，也会阻止美国和欧洲的普通人和合法商人接纳它。事实上，今年夏季比特币汇率大跌部分原因正是一个比特币的主要网络交易平台遭到了网络大抢劫。如果合法性和安全性得不到保障，比特币可能继续作为影子货币存在，估值容易出现大幅波动。

    但这种状况或许已开始发生变化，至少欧洲是这样。作为众多比特币交易平台之一，Bit-Coin Central公司本月早些时候宣布已与法国本地支付服务提供商Aqoba结盟，为第三方在支付账户中保存资金。虽然这没有使Bit-Coin Central变成一家银行（因为它不能投资持有的比特币），但由Aqoba作为Bitcoin交易的中间人将给用比特币交易的用户心中带来一些安全感。

    虽然BitCoin Central表示它不是一家银行，但它提供的功能与银行非常相似。最终，比特币或许可以在很多日常银行交易中代替欧元。但这种情况不会在一夜之间发生，原因很简单：比特币系统对于大多数人而言都过于复杂。

    改变的催化剂可能来自像伊朗这样的地方，严厉制裁已导致本币近乎崩溃。如果伊朗有足够多的“合法”用户开始使用这一系统，那么比特币这个妖精可能会从此永远逃出魔瓶，不仅给银行利润造成冲击，也会对主权国家的货币监管机构构成威胁。

    译者：早稻米

    Indeed, authorities in the US and Europe are already concerned that Bitcoins could soon grow in value and become a major problem. The FBI recommended in a report this spring that third-party exchanges of Bitcoins be forced to adhere to the same anti-money laundering that the banks (are supposed) to be following.

    "The US government doesn't have much leverage over the exchanges," Nicholas Christian, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert on cryptography and security, told Fortune. "It is not clear, yet, what status these exchanges have. Are they selling monetary products, are the selling financial products, or something else that doesn't exist?"

    What we do know is that Bitcoins operate in some sort of legal grey area, which is for now allowing Bitcoin transactions to occur totally unregulated and outside the scope of both US and international banking laws. While this may be great for people who want to live in the shadows it is deterring everyday people and legitimate merchants in the US and Europe from embracing it. Indeed, part of the crash in BitCoin value last summer was due in part to a major heist at one of the major online exchanges by cyber bandits. Without that legitimacy and security, Bitcoins will probably remain a shadow currency, which will be vulnerable to wild swings in valuation.

    But that may start to change, at least in Europe. Bit-Coin Central, one of the many online Bitcoin exchanges, announced earlier this month that it was teaming up with Aqoba, a local payment service provider in France, to keep funds on behalf of third-parties in payment accounts. While this doesn't make Bit-Coin Central a bank (as it cannot invest the Bitcoins it holds), it will bring some peace of mind for users when doing business in Bitcoins, as Aqoba works as an intermediary for Bitcoin transactions.

    While BitCoin Central says it is not a bank, it is performing very "bank-like" functions. Eventually, Bitcoins could be used as a way to replace the euro in many everyday bank transactions. But it won't happen overnight for one simple reason: The Bitcoin system is far too complex for most people.

    The catalyst for change could come out of places like Iran where crippling sanctions have made their currency collapse in value. If enough "legitimate" users in Iran start to use the system, then the Bitcoin genie could forever be out of the bottle, threatening not only just bank profits, but also the monetary authority of sovereign nations.