新加坡首臺(tái)比特幣ATM擬于3月中亮相

新加坡首臺(tái)比特幣ATM擬于3月中亮相

Singapore's first Bitcoin ATM will be unveiled in mid-March, according to the owner of Bitcoin Exchange, a new company aiming to capitalize on demand for the much-discussed cryptocurrency.

Zann Kwan, a 37-year-old Singaporean, told The Wall Street Journal the machine will allow patrons to exchange cash for the currency by scanning a code on their phones and then simply inserting bills.

'The Bitcoin community in Singapore is growing, and we see more people using Bitcoin as a mode of payment in shops and bars,' she said. Kwan purchased the machine, which retails for $5,000, from a British Virgin Islands-based maker called Lamassu, and said she plans to open up to four more by the end of the year.

The location for the first has yet to be determined, but she is targeting shopping malls.

Singapore's Inland Revenue Authority announced recently it would treat Bitcoin as a service, not money or currency, and even published tax guidance. The Monetary Authority of Singapore, however, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the legality of Bitcoin ATMs. Kwan said she did not expect any difficulties.

Depending on when it arrives, Kwan's machine could become Asia's first Bitcoin ATM. Last month Jordan Kelley, the 27-year-old chief executive of the Las Vegas-based Bitcoin ATM maker Robocoin, said his firm would open a unit in Hong Kong by the end of January. But the opening has been delayed as it is still completing the certification process.

'It's imminent,' he said, declining to give a new time frame. Kelley said the company would soon be targeting China, Australia, and Singapore, as well.

Even if Kwan beats Kelley in opening the region's first ATM, he dismissed Lamassu's machines as lacking in functionality, since they merely allow patrons to add cash to Bitcoin accounts. His machines, on the other hand, are more like traditional ATMs. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, for its part, has said it does not regulate Bitcoin.

'Robocoin is the only company with ATMs that have cash come in and out,' he said, allowing both deposits and cash withdrawals. Offering a worldwide network of robust Bitcoin ATMs is 'crucial' to bringing the virtual currency 'to the masses,' he said.

In response, Lamassu Chief Executive Zach Harvey said that his company provides a more profitable model for owners, since Lamassu does not take a cut of transaction fees, as Robocoin does.

David Moskowitz, who runs a Singapore-based Bitcoin exchange called Coin Republic, said he's not threatened by Kwan's planned ATM, even though patrons might elect to use one of her machines rather than employ his services.

'I don't view it as competition,' he said, noting that it would help build awareness of the currency. 'It will be great for the Bitcoin ecosystem.'

據(jù)比特幣交易公司Bitcoin Exchange的所有者、現(xiàn)年37歲的新加坡人關(guān)貞(Zann Kwan, 音譯)透露，新加坡首臺(tái)比特幣(Bitcoin)自動(dòng)柜員機(jī)(ATM)將于3月中旬亮相。Bitcoin Exchange是一家新公司，計(jì)劃利用比特幣這種引起廣泛討論的加密貨幣所受需求大賺一筆。

關(guān)貞告訴《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》(Wall Street Journal)，顧客可以通過掃描手機(jī)代碼和插入鈔票的方式，用現(xiàn)金兌換比特幣。

她表示，比特幣在新加坡的使用范圍正不斷擴(kuò)大，可以看到越來越多的人在商店和酒吧用比特幣進(jìn)行支付。關(guān)貞以5,000美元的價(jià)格從英屬維京群島制造商Lamassu手中購買了一臺(tái)比特幣ATM，并計(jì)劃在年底前再投放不超過四臺(tái)。

第一臺(tái)ATM的安裝地點(diǎn)尚未確定，不過關(guān)貞把目光對(duì)準(zhǔn)了購物商場。

新加坡國稅局(Inland Revenue Authority)最近宣布，將把比特幣視為一種服務(wù)，而非金錢或貨幣，甚至還公布了稅收指導(dǎo)。但是新加坡金管局(Monetary Authority of Singapore)沒有立即回覆記者有關(guān)比特幣ATM合法性的置評(píng)請(qǐng)求。關(guān)貞表示，預(yù)計(jì)不會(huì)遇到任何困難。

關(guān)貞的ATM有望成為亞洲首臺(tái)比特幣ATM，這將取決于該ATM運(yùn)抵新加坡的時(shí)間?？偛课挥诶咕S加斯的比特幣ATM制造商Robocoin的首席執(zhí)行長、現(xiàn)年27歲的凱利(Jordan Kelley)上個(gè)月曾表示，該公司的比特幣ATM將在1月底前登陸香港。但是目前已經(jīng)推遲，因?yàn)槿栽谶M(jìn)行認(rèn)證工作。

凱利表示，比特幣ATM即將亮相，但是拒絕透露新的時(shí)間表。他稱，該公司也計(jì)劃很快在中國大陸、澳大利亞和新加坡推出比特幣ATM。

即使關(guān)貞先于凱利在亞洲投放了首臺(tái)比特幣ATM，凱利依舊對(duì)Lamassu公司的ATM看不上眼，原因是后者的ATM功能不全，只允許顧客在比特幣賬戶中存入現(xiàn)金。而凱利的ATM更像傳統(tǒng)的ATM。香港金融管理局(Hong Kong Monetary Authority)已表示，比特幣不在其監(jiān)管職責(zé)范圍內(nèi)。

凱利表示，Robocoin生產(chǎn)的比特幣ATM是唯一可以存取現(xiàn)金的此類ATM。在全球范圍內(nèi)布置功能強(qiáng)大的比特幣ATM網(wǎng)絡(luò)對(duì)于向大眾推廣比特幣這種虛擬貨幣至關(guān)重要。

Lamassu的首席執(zhí)行長Zach Harvey回應(yīng)稱，他的公司為比特幣所有人提供了更賺錢的交易方式，因?yàn)長amassu不收取交易費(fèi)，這一點(diǎn)與Robocoin不同。

新加坡比特幣交易公司Coin Republic的負(fù)責(zé)人大衛(wèi)•莫斯科維茨(David Moskowitz)表示，雖然關(guān)貞計(jì)劃推出ATM，但是對(duì)他不會(huì)構(gòu)成威脅，即便是顧客可能選擇使用關(guān)貞的ATM而不是他的服務(wù)。

莫斯科維茨稱，并沒有把比特幣ATM視為競爭對(duì)手，并稱推出ATM有助于打響比特幣的知名度。這對(duì)比特幣生態(tài)系統(tǒng)而言是件好事。