Legal regulation of virtual currency
On June 28, 2009, the Ministry of culture and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the "notice on strengthening the management of virtual currency in online games", which made it clear that virtual currency is expressed in the form of prepaid recharge card, prepaid amount or points of online games, but does not include game props obtained in game activities; Virtual currency shall not be used to pay for, purchase physical procts or exchange for any procts and services of other enterprises< The following is the full text of the Circular of the Ministry of culture and the Ministry of Commerce:
the Circular of the Ministry of culture and the Ministry of Commerce on strengthening the management of virtual currency in online games
the cultural departments (bureaus) and commercial departments (bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, the Cultural Bureau and commercial bureau of Xinjiang proction and Construction Corps, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Cultural market administrative law enforcement corps:
with the rapid development of online games, online game virtual currency is widely used in online game business services. The virtual currency of online games not only promotes the development of online game instry, but also brings new economic and social problems. Mainly reflected in: first, the lack of protection of user rights and interests; Second, market behavior lacks supervision; Third, the online game virtual currency in the use of disputes
in order to standardize the operation order of online game market, according to the spirit of Interim Provisions on Internet culture management, notice on Further Strengthening the management of Internet cafes and online games (Wen Shi Fa [2007] No. 10) and notice on standardizing the operation order of online games and banning the use of online game gambling (Gong Tong Zi [2007] No. 3), etc, With the consent of the people's Bank of China and other departments, the notice on strengthening the management of virtual currency of online games is as follows
It is illegal to issue virtual currency privately
According to Article 29 of the regulations of the people's Republic of China on the administration of RMB, no unit or indivial is allowed to print or sell token tickets to replace RMB in circulation on the market In addition, the "emergency notice of the State Council Office for rectifying unhealthy tendencies in the instry, the State Economic and Trade Commission and the people's Bank of China on prohibiting the issuance and use of various token certificates (cards)" also strictly prohibited similar issues
extended data
virtual currency refers to non real currency. Well known virtual currencies, such as online currency of Internet company, q-coin of Tencent company, q-point and voucher of Shanda company, micro currency launched by Sina (used for micro games, Sina reading, etc.), chivalrous Yuanbao (used for chivalrous road game), silver grain (used for bixue Qingtian game), and popular digital currencies in 2013 include bitcoin, Laite coin, infinite coin, quark coin, zeta coin, etc Barbecue coins, pennies (Internet), invisible gold bars, red coins, prime coins. At present, hundreds of digital currencies are issued all over the world. Popular in the circle & quot; The legend of "bitcoin, Wright silver, infinite copper, pennies aluminum"
market formation
the Internet has led to the emergence of a new market, which is a virtual market based on cyberspace. The Internet provides a lot of communication places for consumers, and also provides business market for enterprises. Enterprises must change from proct centered to service centered to customer centered. With the development of computer artificial intelligence technology and database technology, enterprises can conveniently collect customers' information, understand customers' needs in time, change business strategies and grasp economic arteries in real time
With the rapid development of computer and network communication technology, the application of Internet technology has graally penetrated into various fields of human activities, and the unlimited business opportunities that it contains make businesses turn their eyes to e-commerce. E-commerce is penetrating into all aspects of social and economic life at a speed that people can hardly imaginethe traditional finance is also closely watching this irresistible trend of global economic integration and networking. As a result, value-added services take art as the selling point and can be regarded as commodities; The sword in the game is not a brand-new financial services business philosophy - e-finance came into being
from the historical development process, to understand e-finance, we must start from the electronic finance and e-commerce. The so-called e-financialization means that financial enterprises adopt modern communication, computer, network and other information technology means in addition to Internet technology to improve the work efficiency of traditional financial service business, rece operating costs, realize the automation of financial business processing, informatization of financial enterprise management and scientific decision-making, and provide customers with faster and more convenient services, And then enhance the financial enterprise is the behavior of market competitive advantage
e-finance is a transcendence of financial electronization. Different from the electronic finance, the main technical basis of e-finance operation is the increasingly perfect Internet technology. Due to the characteristics of global connectivity, openness, quickness and low marginal cost of Internet technology, e-finance strengthens the restructuring and innovation of financial services business based on Internet technology, so that customers are free from the restrictions of business hours and places, and enjoy all kinds of high-quality and low-cost services provided by financial enterprises anytime and anywhere
with the development of Internet, the form of money is becoming more virtual, and there is an electronic money that only exists in the form of electronic signal
reference source: Network: virtual currency
In 2013, the people's Bank of China issued the notice on preventing bitcoin risks. Later, it was reported that the people's Bank of China had an interview with more than 10 third-party payment companies, explicitly requiring them not to provide payment and clearing services to bitcoin, lightcoin and other trading websites. The price of bitcoin in China has dropped all the way from about 7000 yuan to 3300 yuan. More analysis says that bitcoin will withdraw from China. Is that true
However, at present, the security risks of bitcoin have not been fully exposedthe overall risk increases
it must be admitted that the government's increased supervision leads to the further increase of the risk of bitcoin trading
moreover, the transaction threshold is obviously higher than before
In essence, as a means of investment, the risk of bitcoin is self-evident. If there is no final person to take over the offer, even if bitcoin is in short supply, it lacks real value and only has limited online use value. If you can't find the last recipient, bitcoin will probably disappear like a bubble. p>According to the news on February 10, 2018, on September 4, 2017, seven ministries and commissions of the people's Republic of China issued the notice on preventing the financing risk of token issuance, which regulates the issuance of tokens. In the notice, the nature of all kinds of tokens and "virtual currency" is clearly defined: it is not issued by the monetary authority, and it has no monetary attributes such as legal compensation and mandatory, It does not have the same legal status as currency and cannot and should not be used as currency in the market. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that all kinds of "virtual currency" still have a certain property value and are part of the property of the holder. So, how to identify the nature of the theft of such tokens
In order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of "virtual token" holders, the author intends to discuss such issues through a relevant news report and relevant casesstealing bitcoin
recently, a news report said that Haidian police in Beijing cracked a case of destroying computer information system. The suspect Zhong used his administrator's authority to modify the company's computer applications and steal 100 bitcoins. Before he could sell the stolen money, Zhong was arrested by the police. At present, Zhong was detained for the crime of destroying computer information system
it can be seen from the report that the police detained the perpetrator for stealing bitcoin on suspicion of damaging the computer information system. The crime of destroying the computer information system stipulated in Article 286 of the criminal law of our country refers to the act of deleting, modifying, adding or interfering with the functions of the computer information system in violation of the provisions of the state, resulting in the abnormal operation of the computer information system and serious consequences, or deleting, modifying or interfering with the data and application programs stored, processed or transmitted in the computer information system Modifying or adding operations with serious consequences, or deliberately making or spreading destructive programs such as computer viruses, which affect the normal operation of the computer system with serious consequences
In the author's opinion, this crime is one of the crimes of impairing social management order in Chapter 6 of the criminal law, that is, the legal interest protected by this crime is actually the public order of our society, not the property interests of the digital currency holders, which in fact denies the property value of digital currency, It is only protected as a data or system function in a computer system. The author thinks that there is some irrationality in this wayfirst of all, in the notice on the prevention of bitcoin risk issued in 2013, it is mentioned that bitcoin is not a real currency because it is not issued by the monetary authority and does not have such monetary attributes as legal compensation and compulsion. Bitcoin has four main characteristics: no centralized issuers, limited amount, no geographical restrictions and anonymity. Because it belongs to a specific virtual commodity in nature The notice also clearly mentioned that bitcoin does not have the same legal status as currency and should not be used as currency in the market. However, as a virtual commodity, the property value behind bitcoin cannot be ignored
Secondly, Article 127 of the general provisions of the civil law, which came into effect on October 1 last year, stipulates that if the law has provisions on the protection of data and network virtual property, such provisions shall prevail. Although only the protection of the network virtual property has made the principle provisions, but it can not be denied that this shows our country's attitude towards the protection of the network virtual property. Although there is no special law for the protection of data and network virtual property in China, from the perspective of the general provisions of civil law, it is predicted that there will be relevant legislation in the futurefinally, from the relevant cases, we can also see the recognition of the property attribute of virtual currency such as bitcoin in China's judicial practice. In April and may 2013, Liu premeditated to set up a bitcoin trading platform, so he recruited Jin and Huang (both sentenced) to jointly set up a "bitcoin" trading platform. During this period, Liu, Huang, Jin, Jin and the defendant he, in addition to other acts of directly stealing customers' funds, also frequently cashed RMB by selling customers' bitcoins, and transferred 120 bitcoins from the website. Finally, the court convicted and punished the defendant for fraud, and the bitcoin transferred by the defendant was also included in the property loss of the victim. Therefore, from the judicial cases, we can also get the recognition of the property attributes of virtual currency such as bitcoin
based on the above reasons, the author thinks that it may be unreasonable to regulate the theft of virtual currency only as the crime of damaging computer information system. We should face up to the hidden property value and consider the application of the crime of infringing property in China's criminal law. Only in this way can we effectively protect the legitimate rights and property of digital currency holders in China
notice of the people's Bank of China, Ministry of instry and information technology, China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission and China Insurance Regulatory Commission on bitcoin risk prevention
notice on bitcoin risk prevention
recently, A kind of so-called "bitcoin" calculated by a specific computer program has attracted wide attention in the world, and some domestic institutions and indivials take the opportunity to hype bitcoin and its related procts. In order to protect the property rights and interests of the public, protect the legal tender status of RMB, prevent the risk of money laundering and maintain financial stability, in accordance with the law of the people's Republic of China on the people's Bank of China, the anti money laundering law of the people's Republic of China, the commercial bank law of the people's Republic of China, the telecommunication regulations of the people's Republic of China and other relevant laws and regulations, We hereby inform you of the following matters:
first, we should have a correct understanding of the attributes of bitcoin. Although bitcoin is called "currency", it is not a real currency because it is not issued by the monetary authority and has no legal compensation and mandatory monetary attributes. In nature, bitcoin should be a specific virtual commodity, which does not have the same legal status as currency, and can not and should not be used as currency in the market< Second, financial institutions and Payment institutions are not allowed to carry out bitcoin related business
at this stage, financial institutions and Payment institutions are not allowed to price bitcoin as a proct or service, buy or sell bitcoin as a central counterparties, underwrite bitcoin related insurance business or include bitcoin into the scope of insurance liability, Shall not directly or indirectly provide customers with other services related to bitcoin, including: providing customers with bitcoin registration, trading, clearing, settlement and other services; Accept bitcoin or use bitcoin as a payment and settlement tool; Carry out bitcoin and RMB and foreign currency exchange services; Carry out bitcoin storage, custody, mortgage and other services; Issuing financial procts related to bitcoin; Take bitcoin as the investment target of trust, fund, etc
Third, strengthen the management of bitcoin Internet sites
in accordance with the telecommunication regulations of the people's Republic of China and the measures for the administration of Internet information services, Internet sites providing bitcoin registration, trading and other services should be filed with the telecommunications regulatory agency
in accordance with the identification and punishment opinions of relevant administrative departments, the telecommunications regulatory authorities shut down illegal bitcoin Internet stations in accordance with the law< Fourth, to guard against the possible money laundering risk caused by bitcoin
all branches of the people's Bank of China should pay close attention to the trend and situation of bitcoin and other similar virtual commodities with the characteristics of anonymity and cross-border circulation convenience, carefully study and judge the money laundering risk, and study and formulate targeted preventive measures. All branches shall bring into anti money laundering supervision the institutions established according to law and providing bitcoin registration, trading and other services within their jurisdiction, and urge them to strengthen anti money laundering monitoring
Internet stations that provide bitcoin registration and transaction services should fulfill their obligations to fight money laundering, identify users' identities, and require users to register with real names, register name, ID number and other information.
all financial institutions, Payment institutions and Internet websites providing bitcoin registration, trading and other services should report to China Anti Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Center immediately if they find suspicious transactions related to bitcoin and other virtual commodities, and cooperate with the anti money laundering investigation activities of the people's Bank of China; If any criminal activity clues such as fraud, gambling, money laundering are found using bitcoin, they should report to the public security organ in time< All departments, financial institutions and Payment institutions should correctly use the concept of money in their daily work, and pay attention to strengthening the ecation of the public's knowledge of money, so as to have a correct understanding of money, a correct view of virtual goods and virtual money, rational investment, a reasonable control of investment risks, and a rational understanding of the concept of money The concept of maintaining the safety of their own property should be included in the content of financial knowledge popularization activities to guide the public to establish a correct concept of money and investment
all financial regulatory agencies may formulate relevant implementation rules in accordance with this circular
the Shanghai headquarters of the people's Bank of China, all branches, business management departments and central sub branches of provincial capital cities are requested to forward this circular to all local financial institutions and Payment institutions within their jurisdiction. Please report to the people's Bank of China in time any new situation or problem found ring the implementation of this circular.
it is not illegal fund-raising.
the notice clarifies the nature of bitcoin, and holds that bitcoin is not issued by the monetary authority, has no monetary attributes such as legal compensation and compulsion, and is not a real currency. In terms of nature, bitcoin is a specific virtual commodity, which does not have the same legal status as currency and cannot and should not be used as currency in the market. However, bitcoin trading as a commodity trading behavior on the Internet, ordinary people have the freedom to participate at their own risk
the notice requires that at this stage, all financial institutions and Payment institutions shall not price procts or services with bitcoin, buy or sell bitcoin as a central counterparties, underwrite insurance business related to bitcoin or include bitcoin into the scope of insurance liability, and provide other bitcoin related services to customers directly or indirectly, Including: providing bitcoin registration, trading, clearing, settlement and other services for customers; Accept bitcoin or use bitcoin as a payment and settlement tool; Carry out bitcoin and RMB and foreign currency exchange services; Carry out bitcoin storage, custody, mortgage and other services; Issuing financial procts related to bitcoin; Take bitcoin as the investment target of trust, fund, etc
according to the notice, the bitcoin Internet website, as the main trading platform of bitcoin, shall be filed with the telecommunications administration according to the provisions of the Telecommunications Regulations of the people's Republic of China and the measures for the administration of Internet information services. At the same time, in view of bitcoin's high risk of money laundering and being used by criminals, the notice requires relevant institutions to perform the legal anti money laundering obligations such as customer identification and suspicious transaction report in accordance with the anti money laundering law of the people's Republic of China, so as to effectively prevent the money laundering risks related to bitcoin
in order to avoid excessive speculation of virtual commodities such as bitcoin in the name of "virtual currency" and damage the public interest and the legal tender status of RMB, the circular requires financial institutions and Payment institutions to correctly use the concept of currency in their daily work, pay attention to strengthening the ecation of the public's knowledge of currency, and correctly understand the concept of currency The concept of correctly treating virtual commodity and virtual currency, rational investment, reasonable control of investment risk, and maintenance of their own property security should be included in the content of financial knowledge popularization activities, so as to guide the public to establish a correct concept of currency and investment
in the future, the people's Bank of China will continue to pay close attention to the trend and related risks of bitcoin based on its own responsibilities (end)