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Bitcoin Got Bitten 比特币受创 Charlie Shrem was a featured speaker at a gathering of Bitcoin enthusiasts in Miami on January 26th. The next day he was making less welcome headlines, after being arrested and accused of conspiring to provide $1m-worth of virtual currency to shoppers on Silk Road, an online marketplace, for illegal drugs. Silk Road was shut down last year. Its alleged founder, Ross Ulbricht, has since been indicted. Now crime busters are turning their attention to exchanges that allowed customers at such black-market bazaars to trade traceable old-economy currencies for near-anonymous virtual ones. 1月26日查理·谢尔梅还是迈阿密比特币爱好者集会上的一位特邀演讲嘉宾。然而第二天，在他被逮捕并被指控密谋通过“丝绸之路”这个非法毒品网上交易平台向顾客提供价值100万美元虚拟货币之后，就成了不那么受欢迎的头版头条新闻人物。“丝绸之路”于去年倒闭，之后，声称为其创始人的罗斯·乌尔布莱特受到起诉。目前刑警们正在将注意力转移到另一些交易上，这些交易允许类似的黑市集市交易客户用可跟踪的传统货币交换几近匿名持有的虚拟货币。 Mr. Shrem’s arrest shocked Bitcoin groupies: the 24-year-old has been one of the currency’s most vocal advocates, and was seen as having no links to its dark side. His exchange, BitInstant, has financial backing from the Winklevoss twins, internet entrepreneurs who claim that Facebook was their idea. 谢尔梅的被捕震惊了比特货币的粉丝群：这位24岁的年轻人一直以来都是比特币最直言不讳的拥护者，并且被视为与比特货币的阴暗面毫无瓜葛。他的网上交易平台BitIstant 得到文克莱沃斯双胞胎兄弟（这两位因特网企业家声称Facebook 是他们的创意）的奖金支持。 According to the complaint, however, Mr. Shrem personally processed orders for Robert Faiella, who faces similar charges, despite knowing the Bitcoin would be resold to Silk Road users (at a 10% markup); he concealed the orders from his business partner when the partner grew suspicious; and he advised Mr. Faiella (whose online alias was BTCKing) on how to circumvent transaction limits imposed by BitInstant’s anti-money-laundering policy, even though it was Mr. Shrem’s job to enforce these as compliance officer. If convicted, the two men faced up to 30 years in prison. 根据指控，谢尔梅在明知比特币最终会（以10%的价格涨幅 ）回售给“丝绸之路”用户的情况下，仍然亲自为罗伯特·法耶拉处理订单，而罗伯特·法耶拉现在也面临着类似的控告。谢尔梅在他的生意伙伴开始产生怀疑时，隐瞒了这些订单，并就如何绕开由BitIstant的“反洗黑钱”政策施加的交易限制为法耶拉（其网名为“BTCKing”）提供了建议——尽管谢尔梅作为合规主管的工作就是监督事实这些政策。一旦被定罪，两人将面临长达30年的监禁。 Bitcoin’s fans complain that its illicit uses are attracting too much attention and its potential to shake up the payments business too little. Regulators are still not sure what to make of it. Responses differ from country to country. Finland’s central bank views Bitcoin as a “digital commodity”, not a currency. In Germany it is treated as private money. China has clamped down, restricting banks’ use of virtual currencies. 比特币的粉丝们抱怨说，比特币的非法使用吸引的关注太多，而其重组支付业务的潜在作用却甚少有人问津。监管人员仍不知如何是好。不同的国家对此有不同的应对方案。芬兰央行将比特币视为一种“电子商品”，而不是一种货币。而在德国比特币被视为一种私有货币。中国则取缔比特币，严令禁止银行使用虚拟货币。 In America regulatory guidance has been slow in coming. Last year federal regulators did say that virtual-currency exchanges might be considered “money-service” businesses, akin to cheque-cashing firms or bureaux de change. These have to comply with know-your-customer and other money-laundering rules, but are licensed by the states. So state regulators are now scrambling to understand e-currencies better. 在美国，相关的管制引导则姗姗来迟。去年联邦监管机构的确表示虚拟货币的交易可能被视作“货币服务”业务，类似于支票兑现公司或者货币兑换所。这些交易都必须遵守“了解你的客户”和其他洗钱方面的规定，但是都必须经过各州核准。因此，州立监管机构如今都急着去更好地了解电子货币。 All eyes are on New York, whose superintendent of financial services, Benjamin Lawsky, held hearings on the issue this week. He wants a new set of rules – dubbed the “BitLicence” – specifically for virtual currencies. Bitcoinistas are split on the idea. Some fear that it will strangle a promising new technology that could help to circumvent the transaction fees charged by banks. Others believe that it might confer legitimacy on a tainted business. 所有的目光都聚焦到了纽约。纽约金融服务主管本杰明·莱斯基在本周举行了有关问题的听证会。他希望建立一套新规章——所谓“比特货币许可证（BitLicence）”——来特别针对虚拟货币。比特币爱好者对此看法不一，有些人担心这样一来会扼杀掉一项前途光明的新技术（该技术将有助于人们绕开银行收取的交易费用）；而另一些人则相信这可能会为有问题的业务披上合法的外衣。 Anticipating a flurry of red tape, virtual-currency firms are starting to take on more compliance experts. The new hires will be busy. “If the choice for regulators is to permit money-laundering on the one hand or to permit innovation on the other,” declared Mr. Lawsky, “we are always going to choose squelching the money-laundering first.” 由于已预期到将会出台一系列繁琐的监管程序，虚拟货币公司正在开始雇佣更多的合规专家。这些新员工将会忙得不可开交。“如果对于监管部门来说必须在打压洗钱和允许创新之间选其一，”莱斯基先生声称，“那么我们毫无疑问会选择打压洗钱。” （许建平 译） |
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