2015-03-16

Bitcoin Still Popular in China

Beijing has a bitcoin problem on its hands
In a new report, Goldman Sachs says the yuan is now used in 80 per cent of transactions into and out of the cyber currency, topping the US dollar, yen and euro. Given that the Communist Party’s highest priority is stability, and the rampant use of bitcoin represents nothing if not the opposite, it’s probably only a matter of time until Beijing tries to crack down.

...What gives? Some mainlanders are surely buying bitcoin to engage in relatively innocent forms of financial speculation. But they are probably outnumbered by the people who are using it to move yuan overseas, while circumventing Beijing’s currency controls. That’s partly because the mainland’s broader economic slowdown provides fewer lucrative investment opportunities. But it’s also because of Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping’s ongoing crackdown on corruption, which has made it harder to launder ill-gotten funds. (Hong Kong money changers used to be the laundering method of choice, but are no longer readily available.)

Bitcoin’s value gyrates too wildly to be a viable transactional unit, but it’s proving to be a nifty way to move money across borders beyond the watchful eye of the government.
This is the main attraction of Bitcoin at this time, moving money across borders. It avoids bank fees, currency exchange fees and capital control.

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