“Singapore and Hong Kong have traditionally been the financial service centres in Asia, so I would expect we will see them lead the way for bitcoin in the region. The challenge is to make bitcoin easier [to use] than what is already out there,” said Kapron. “Start-ups and entrepreneurs are working to make this happen by enabling bitcoin for ‘non-smart’ devices.” One firm looking to do just that is Singapore-based payment processor CoinPip, which announced its intention in March to bring bitcoins to emerging markets in the region by allowing users to buy and sell the virtual currency via SMS. The technology, which integrates CoinPip’s own point-of-purchase technology with that of US-based systems developer 37coins, allows anybody with a mobile phone – of any calibre – to trade bitcoins simply by sending text messages through an established gateway in what is being called an ‘SMS wallet’. “Southeast Asia is very diverse, but if you look at the region as a whole, more people have mobile phones than bank accounts,” said CoinPip co-founder Anson Zeall, adding that only one in three mobile phone users in the region have access to a 3G network, while most remain tethered to mobile services with no internet capacity. “Bitcoin is decentralised and does not need a telecoms operator, so I can go to Myanmar, set up an SMS gateway [that allows a computer to send or receive SMS to and from a telecom network] using the 37coins SMS gateway system, and then everyone can SMS the network owner through that gateway.” Cashed up: ‘paper wallets’, seen here, are a way to store bitcoins offline According to Kapron, 2G SMS technology solutions are being developed and could be used for bitcoin in the much the same way they are currently used for mobile payments. “Bitcoin ATMs are an example of how the technology could reach the non-online or less wealthy – a significant part of some Southeast Asian countries’ population,” Kapron added. “To use the ATM, recipients wouldn’t need a bank account or a phone. They could just go to the ATM, set up a bitcoin wallet and then give that wallet address to whoever is sending the money. The sender would remit money to the recipient’s wallet, and the recipient could then go to the ATM and withdraw in their local currency.” Zeall admitted that his product was unlikely to have much of an immediate impact in rural areas with little access to funds or technology, but added that an SMS wallet may play well in areas outside of large cities, such as border towns where there is regular trading in multiple currencies. “Where there are banking and infrastructure problems… people will like it,” he said. Though the prospect of a digital currency in today’s connected world seems promising, bitcoins are not without serious risks, with some financial experts arguing they are neither regulated as a sovereign currency, nor carry any sort of intrinsic value and are therefore incredibly volatile. “The absence of a regulatory body makes it difficult to accept bitcoin as a currency. An electronic currency is a possibility as it will reduce transaction costs substantially, but there has to be a multinational or national authority with a proper regulatory framework to govern the use of it as a currency, including the payment and settlement,” said Cyn-Young Park, assistant chief economist at the Asian Development Bank. “While I think there may be an electronic currency uniformly accepted by the global economy someday, it would take a different path of development from bitcoin.” Without a regulatory framework in place to protect bitcoins as either a fully fledged currency or even a commodity – as some countries have deemed them – the digital currency has not played well with some governments, including China, who in December decided to bar its financial institutions from using them. As a result of the ban, the value of bitcoins halved in January from $1,151 per bitcoin and has yet to recover, currently selling for less than $500 each. Where China has opted to position itself against virtual currencies, countries in Southeast Asia are taking varying approaches. With nothing backing the currency, regulators in Malaysia and Indonesia have said they are unwilling to withstand the possibility of the destabilisation of bitcoin and have made them illegal. “It is an interesting technology development, but there are too many risks and uncertainties for its widespread use and use as a substitute for currency,” said the ADB’s Cyn-Young Park. Thailand, which carried a similar policy, reconsidered its position in February after the Bank of Thailand stated that there were no provisions banning them from being traded. They are now being traded on the open market. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), meanwhile, said in a statement on March 3 that it would take a progressive stance on bitcoins by regulating their usage in an attempt to stem potential money laundering and terrorist activities, a factor that has been weighed by most regulators. Tembusu Terminals’ Peter Peh Sik Wee speaks to the media as he launches Asia’s first bitcoin vending machine in a Singapore pub in February. Photo: Edgar Su/Reuters “Consumers and businesses should take note of the broader risks that dealing in virtual currencies entails and should exercise the necessary caution,” MAS deputy managing director Ong Chong Tee said in the statement. Zeall said that, although illicit activities revolving around bitcoins are a concern, the scope of the problem is actually no worse than those of sovereign currencies, as all bitcoin transactions are recorded into a public ledger. “I still think the best way to launder money is using cash because there is no evidence of transactions,” he said. Nonetheless, banks in Southeast Asia remain cautious over the use of bitcoin. “Acleda Bank could never consider taking exchanges in digital currencies like bitcoins since the risks involved are very high and it’s not allowed by the regulations of Cambodia at all,” said In Channy, CEO of the Cambodia-based commercial bank. Grant Knuckey, CEO of ANZ Royal Bank, also in Cambodia, said that although digital currencies have had a difficult time gaining the regulatory foothold required in order to be considered a legitimate legal tender, they nevertheless force monetary experts to reconsider the fundamental concept of money. “It is easy to be dismissive of bitcoin, given it is a ‘non-sovereign’ currency with effectively an unknown issuer,” he said. “People may also mention the fact that bitcoin isn’t ‘backed’ by anything intrinsic, but in fact all modern currencies are ‘fiat’ currencies – that is, they aren’t backed by any physical asset, have no intrinsic value, and their acceptance is, at its core, completely based on trust.” Indeed, of the estimated $60 trillion said to be in the world’s money supply, just 8% is being circulated in hard currency, according to some estimates. With that in mind, digital currencies such as bitcoin are in some respects not much different than those used today. “Globally, it’s far too early to say. I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand – and in fact I’d go as far as to say that perhaps bitcoin is laying bare the illusion of fiat currencies,” Knuckey said. “Virtual currencies are here to stay,” agreed Kapron, “but it is unclear if bitcoin will be the future.” Keep reading: “Betting on the house” - Strong economic growth and a supply of cheap money is likely to drive Southeast Asia’s property markets this year, even as risks loom Bitcoin value dives after China banks ban China has become the biggest Bitcoin market in recent months as buyers seek to profit from speculating in the currency. Last updated: 05 Dec 2013 17:52 China has not made Bitcoin illegal, but directive from central bank severely limits its potential uses [Reuters] The value of Bitcoins, the virtual currency that has soared in recent months and made fortunes for some, plunged after China banned its banks from providing related services and products. Prices on BTC China, the countrys biggest Bitcoin trading platform --which had stood at more than 7,000 yuan (around $1,100) each -- plunged by more than a third to an intra-day low of 4,523.12 yuan. The drop wiped more than $5 billion off the total value of the 12 million-odd Bitcoins currently in circulation. They later recovered to trade at around 5,700 yuan each. Bitcoin is a certain virtual commodity, does not possess the same legal status as currency and cannot and should not be circulated and used in the market as such, the Peoples Bank of China said on Thursday in a statement issued jointly with other financial regulators. Chinese banks and other financial organisations are banned from providing bitcoin-related services and products, it said. It called for enhanced control of online trading platforms for bitcoins to defend against the possibility of money-laundering, and pointed out investment risks faced by the public. But ordinary people, under the premise of voluntarily shouldering the risk, have the freedom to participate in bitcoin trading as a kind of buying and selling activity on the Internet, it said. Concerns have increased internationally over the money amid questions about regulation and the potential for fraud and abuse. The French central bank also warnied against the use of bitcoin on Thursday, saying it is not only volatile but unregulated by authorities. Even if the high volatility of the bitcoin is of possible interest for individual or professional speculators, they should be aware of the risks they are taking, the bank said. Coming soon! Debat Bitcoin di Startup Asia Singapore Oleh Anh-Minh Do | Tech in Asia ID – Kam, 20 Feb 2014 Bagi Tim di Tech in Asia selalu berusaha mencari cara baru untuk memberi Anda konten dan perbincangan yang menarik dan menyeluruh untuk membantu kita memahami kondisi teknologi di Asia. Pada acara Startup Asia Singapore, kami menyelenggarakan fireside chat, presentasi, dan diskusi, dan kami ingin menambahnya dengan Debat Bitcoin pada tanggal 8 Mei, hari kedua Startup Asia. Mengapa kami memilih Bitcoin sebagai topik debat? Pertanyaan ini mudah dijawab. Jelas, Bitcoin adalah salah satu topik yang paling kontroversial di dunia saat ini. Tidak hanya dimulai oleh seorang misterius yang tak dikenal, Bitcoin juga dipuji sebagai disruptor keuangan, pemerintah, sistem hukum, model pembayaran, dan banyak lagi. Kemunculan Bitcoin telah membuat kita melihat kesalahan-kesalahan struktur transaksional kita saat ini. Bitcoin berpotensi mendesentralisasi sistem keuangan yang telah ada selama berabad-abad. Jika Anda bekerja atau mengamati dunia startup, mudah menemukan orang teknologi dan entrepreneur yang mendukung dan mengagumi Bitcoin. Tapi jika Anda berada di kalangan pemerintah dan keuangan, ada beberapa argumen yang sangat menentang Bitcoin. Jadi mari kita memaparkan semua ide-ide untuk didiskusikan. Mari kita lihat secara lebih mendalam masa depan Bitcoin, khususnya di Asia. Jalannya debat Kami akan menggunakan format debat presiden Amerika Serikat. Dua moderator akan berada di luar panggung dengan mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan dari para penonton dan pertanyaan-pertanyaan dari tim editorial kami sendiri. Di atas panggung akan dua podium dengan dua debater. Editor kami akan memberi mereka pertanyaan yang memancing argumen umum terkait identitas bitcoin serta kekuatannya sebagai mata uang global. Anda, pembaca kami tercinta, dan penonton akan dapat memutuskan secara pribadi siapa yang Anda pikir akan memenangkan perdebatan. Kami akan membuat perdebatan ini teratur dan menyenangkan, serta bisa mengeksplorasi topik bersama-sama. Call for debaters! Saat ini, kami masih mencari debater yang dapat tampil di panggung. Kami punya daftar kami sendiri tetapi jika Anda adalah seseorang atau mengenal seseorang yang tertarik berdebat di atas panggung, silakan hubungi kami di editors@techinasia. Jika Anda belum mendaftar di Startup Asia Singapore, silakan klik di sini untuk mendaftar atau mengetahui informasi lebih lanjut.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:33:25 +0000
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