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China's central bank has ordered the country's commercial banks and payment companies to close bitcoin trading accounts in two weeks, according to people with knowledge of the matter, dealing another blow to the virtual currency.
據知情人士透露，中國央行已要求國內商業銀行和第三方支付機構在兩周內關閉比特幣交易賬戶。這令比特幣再遭打擊。
Bitcoin prices are down roughly 8% since the new rules were first reported in financial publication Caixin last week. The rules affect more than a dozen bitcoin exchanges, and are a further tightening of regulations the central bank put in place last year. The accounts must be shut down by April 15, the people said.
財新傳媒上周首次報道上述新規定以來，比特幣價格下跌約8%。新規定將對十多家比特幣交易機構帶來影響，同時內容較中國央行去年發布的比特幣相關規定進一步收緊。知情人士表示，比特幣交易賬戶必須在4月15日前關閉。
Authorities have kept an eye on bitcoin's expansion here as it poses a potential threat to financial stability and because it has attracted swarms of speculative retail investors looking for ways to make quick profits. China imposes strict capital and currency controls, but bitcoin, in theory, offers its holders a way to bypass those rules. Chinese demand for bitcoin soared late last year, contributing to a rise in global prices and attracting the attention of regulators.
中國相關部門一直在密切關注國內比特幣業務的擴張，因為該業務對金融穩定構成潛在威脅，同時吸引了大量尋求快速獲得利潤的投機性個人投資者。中國對資本和外匯實施嚴格控制，但比特幣交易從理論上講可以讓持有者避開這些控制舉措。去年年底中國比特幣需求大幅增長，幫助推升了比特幣在全球市場的價格，同時引發了監管機構的注意。
Regulators are also concerned about the safety of bitcoin exchanges following the collapse of Japan's Mt. Gox exchange after most of the bitcoins it was holding were stolen.
監管部門也對比特幣交易所的安全性感到擔憂，此前日本比特幣交易所Mt. Gox倒閉，因該交易所持有的大量比特幣被盜。
The latest move by the People's Bank of China is a huge blow to the country's bitcoin exchanges, which have found their footing in the more than three months since Chinese authorities appeared to take measures clamping down on the industry. In December, the PBOC ordered financial institutions to stop dealing with bitcoin. Later that month, it made clear that third-party payment processors could not help exchanges collect money from users.
中國央行采取的上述最新行動將令國內比特幣交易所遭受沉重打擊，這些交易所在中國監管部門三個多月前首次采取限制比特幣行業的舉措以來逐步站穩了腳跟。去年12月份，中國央行要求金融機構停止為比特幣交易提供服務。當月晚些時候，中國央行又明確規定第三方支付機構不得幫助比特幣交易所從客戶手中收取資金。
The earlier moves left Chinese bitcoin exchanges with the ability to take direct deposits into corporate bank accounts. In the subsequent months, trading volumes and prices rebounded, as investor confidence returned, in part due to relief that the government had not ruled out bitcoin completely. Some in the bitcoin community said it was actually a positive that the government had said people are free to buy bitcoin.
在之前的這些措施出臺后，比特幣交易平臺仍能夠在公司銀行賬戶中接收直接存款。在隨后的幾個月，隨著投資者信心回升，比特幣的交易規模和價格雙雙反彈，而令投資者感到欣慰的部分原因是政府并未完全取締比特幣。一些比特幣業內人士稱，政府已表示人們可以自由購買比特幣，這確實是個積極跡象。
Making it clear that domestic banks cannot provide clearing, account opening and other services for bitcoin exchanges, however, leaves exchanges with significantly less room to maneuver.
然而，在監管部門明確表示國內銀行不得為比特幣交易平臺提供結算、開戶及其他服務之后，比特幣交易平臺的活動空間明顯縮小。
'There will definitely be a negative impact to the exchanges,' said Bobby Lee, chief executive of Shanghai-based BTC China, the most prominent Chinese exchange name abroad, having risen to briefly be the global leader by trading volume late last year. The latest move is a 'stricter interpretation of the written rules' from the December statement, he added.
總部設在上海的比特幣中國(BTC China)首席執行長李啟元(Bobby Lee)表示，比特幣交易平臺肯定會受到負面影響。他還說，最新出臺的措施是對去年12月份相關通知中書面條例的更嚴格解讀。比特幣中國是在海外最知名的中國比特幣交易平臺，去年末交易規模一度位居全球前列。
The exchange, he said, thought the December statement was 'pretty relaxed' by comparison.
李啟元說，比特幣中國認為，相比之下，去年12月份發布的相關通知已“相當寬松”。
One of the people familiar with the latest directive said that the central bank does not intend to ban bitcoin trading in China, and said the move is to 'enforce what was already said in the December document.' That document had said bitcoin is not a currency with 'real meaning' and does not have the same legal status as a currency, but that the public is free to buy and sell bitcoin online provided that they accept the risk.
這些了解最新政策的知情人士中有一位表示，中國央行并不想禁止國內的比特幣交易。該人士還說，此舉是為了落實去年12月份相關通知中的內容。去年12月份發出的這份通知稱，比特幣并不是真正意義的貨幣，不具有與貨幣等同的法律地位，但普通民眾在自擔風險的前提下擁有參與比特幣買賣的自由。
BTC China and two other major bitcoin exchanges in China--OKCoin and Huobi--have all said they haven't gotten any official notice of a change from the central bank nor the banks that they have accounts with. A spokesman with BTC China said that the firm is trying to get clarity from the banks.
比特幣中國和另外兩個中國比特幣交易平臺――OKCoin和火幣網(Huobi)都表示，他們沒有從央行或開戶行接到正式通知。比特幣中國發言人說，該公司正試圖獲得銀行方面的明確消息。
The three exchanges also said they haven't seen significant changes to their deposits yet, and that trading volumes have jumped in the last week due to bitcoin price volatility from the news.
這三個交易平臺還表示，他們的存款還沒有出現重大變化，而由于相關消息引起比特幣價格波動，上周成交量大幅攀升。
OKCoin CEO Xu Mingxing said that if Chinese exchanges can't accept money into corporate accounts, they would likely have to incorporate themselves abroad and also move their servers overseas. BTC China's Mr. Lee said one option would be for customers to use cash to make deposits directly with BTC China.
OKCoin首席執行長徐明星說，如果中國比特幣交易平臺的公司賬號無法存入現金，他們可能將不得不去國外注冊，把服務器也移到海外。比特幣中國的李啟元表示，一個選擇是讓客戶可以直接在比特幣中國存入現金。
It 'comes down to how it's going to be enforced...we're going to try different things,' said Mr. Lee.
李啟元稱，問題是如何實施......公司準備嘗試多種辦法。
Left on their own, bitcoin exchanges have thrived in China, given strong local demand in a country that doesn't offer many investment outlets. Exchanges here also don't need special licenses to operate, compared with other parts of the world, such as the U.S., where exchanges need licenses as money-transfer businesses.
由于中國投資途徑有限，而國內的比特幣交易需求很大，因此未受監管的比特幣交易平臺在國內出現繁榮發展。中國的比特幣交易平臺也不需要專門特別的營運牌照，而在美國等世界其他國家，比特幣交易平臺要有轉賬業務牌照。
Shanghai bitcoin consultancy Kapronasia estimates that there are roughly two dozen exchanges operating in China looking to benefit from strong local demand in a country with tight currency and capital controls.
上海比特幣顧問公司Kapronasia 估計，目前大約有二十多個交易平臺在中國運營，希望在中國這個嚴格控制匯率和資本的國家從強勁的本地需求中獲益。
