You are here
Leonid Bershidsky: Authoritarian cryptocurrencies are coming
By Leonid Bershidsky
Bloomberg News
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
With Russia and China both embracing the idea of sovereign cryptocurrencies, it's time to ask a simple question: Why is a technology threatening to decentralize money so attractive to highly centralized, authoritarian regimes?
Last weekend Argumenti i Fakti, a pro-government newspaper, quoted Russian Communication Minister Nikolai Nikiforov as saying President Vladimir Putin had ordered the swift launching of a "crypto-ruble." According to the report, Nikiforov said the currency would use "Russian cryptography" and would be impossible to "mine" like bitcoin because it would be "a closed model with a definite volume of regulated emission." This follows statements by Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who stressed the need for the Russian state to bring cryptocurrency emission and use under control.
... Dispatch continues below ...
USAGold: Coins and bullion since 1973
USAGold, well known for its Internet site, USAGold.com, offers contemporary bullion coins and bullion-related historic gold coins for delivery to private investors in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is one of the oldest and most respected names in the gold industry, with thousands of clients and an approach to investment that emphasizes guidance and individual needs over high-pressure sales tactics. The firm's zero-complaint record at the Better Business Bureau makes it an ideal match for the conservative, long-term investor looking for a reliable contact in the gold business.
Please call 1-800-869-5115x100 and ask for the trading desk, or visit:
USAGold: Great prices, quick delivery -- all the time.
Nikidforov's vague description of the crypto-ruble sounds similar to recent unofficial Chinese proposals. Yao Qian, deputy director of the People's Bank of China's technology division, has discussed a central bank-issued electronic currency for which commercial banks would administer "wallets." Other Chinese officials and state-affiliated researchers have also echoed the idea.
To those who believe bitcoin's main innovation is the exclusion of a central authority -- a peer-to-peer system in which transactions are validated by "miners" -- the interest of China and Russia is baffling. But those governments aren't looking to give up control to the blockchain. On the contrary, they are trying to figure out how to lower the cost for a centralized issuer to control everything that's going on in the financial system. ...
... For the remainder of the report:
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-10-17/authoritarian-cryptoc...
* * *
Join GATA here:
New Orleans Investment Conference
Wednesday-Saturday, October 25-28, 2017
Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://neworleansconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NOIC2017_powe...
Mines and Money London
Business Design Centre
London, England, United Kingdom
Monday-Thursday, November 27-30, 2017
http://london.minesandmoney.com/
* * *
Help keep GATA going:
GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at:
To contribute to GATA, please visit:
