The correspondent of "Snob" went cryptocurrency
Exchange bitcoins, which I could not find half an hour even using the card, no different from the usual exchange: a tiny room, which can fit only a couple of people, iron window and double protective glass, followed by the operator. We said Hello through the glass, he asked me to close the door and only then put forward the cash drawer so that we can better hear each other.
— I'd like to buy your bitcoins.
We do not sell, only buy.
Then I learned that even if I was, afford them I would not be able is one bitcoin worth several tens of thousands of rubles.
Bitcoin is a currency and at the same time, digital goods, they can pay, and to invest: at the time of this writing, the price of one bitcoin was 36 518, and the year before, 18 August 2015, it costs two times cheaper — only 16 of 799 rubles. Change happens very quickly: two weeks ago, for bitcoin you can get 43 612 rubles. Cryptocurrency is not tied to gold as the national currency. Its value is determined by the market: the higher the demand, the more money you need to pay for your purchase. The feature of such money is that every coin is unique, has its own code which cannot be faked. Crypto currency differs from electronic money are in our Bank cards, the fact that it is not necessary to Deposit via ATM and to convert this material in digital it — digital.
If you want to have bitcoins, not necessarily to buy them, you can engage in mining, "mining." With the help of special software need to solve the problem, which is based on algorithm written by an anonymous hacker, then you get the coin — bitcoin. The more time that passes since the establishment of this system, the more difficult the task becomes, so at the moment, "mine" alone does not make sense, because single processor is not enough processing power — miners gather in groups. A single server system, it is built on the principle of equal nodes that organize groups of miners based on the source code that created and uploaded in 2009 in the open access on the Internet hacker who worked under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Unknown, one is a man or a group, but it is believed that under the nickname Satoshi was hiding an American entrepreneur Steven Wright.
About why can be useful to exchange bitcoins, the representative said the following: "many online banks have a limit of daily translation, such as 500 000. More than 100 rubles, you are already not transfer, so you will have to use another person's card or wait until tomorrow — it is connected with the inconvenience. Besides a map on which several days in a row transferred large sums could raise suspicion at security Bank is not a crime if engaged in by this man, not launder money. You can receive a wire transfer, but it will take a few days. But if a person has a bitcoin wallet, he can get a transfer of bitcoins in any amount, and then exchange them with us. All this seems obscure, because our society is almost in a primitive condition, and to the West is a cryptocurrency for several years used in everyday life. That operations with bitcoin was legitimate to hear us — we must show that we have a General. The government will see our activity, will analyse and will continue to restrict or on the contrary promoted."
Lottery, Xbox and cartoons where he meets bitcoin
In Europe, the USA, Israel and Canada with 2013 install bitcoin ATMs, through them you can top-up your bitcoin wallet, and then spend the cryptocurrency, for example, platypodes Xbox or Windows store apps. Or buy her clothes, something in the music store or just to drink coffee. But while it is unique cases, which are written in the media. Mass application in the everyday life of bitcoins no.
Earn on cryptocurrency can not only investing in it. The Internet works a lot of online exchangers, buying and selling bitcoins and receiving a percentage of operations. You can create a wallet for cryptocurrency and receive a percentage of bitcoin transfers users. But there is an unusual enterprise: Oleg Osorgin, engineer, prior to 2015, working in Gazprom, along with partners opens lottery Kibo, which is the normal currency you can win bitcoins. On the question of what to do with bitcoin, the businessman said that Russia bitcoins yet irrelevant — in contrast to the West where they can pay for goods and services, we can only exchange. But it is profitable, considering how much you can sell your bitcoins.
Bitcoins are often in the news. In recent months there have been many events related to cryptocurrency: "Party of growth" said that he was going to accept donations in bitcoins; the company Bitfilm made about them cartoon; "MMM" Martyrdom cryptocurrency, and those interested in Chinese; terrorists are going to infect Czech Republic with Ebola if the government does not pay them 5000 of bitcoins; in the AppStore removed bitcoin wallets through which fraudsters steal users money; the business Ombudsman Boris Titov asked the workers of the Saratov Elektropribor plant if they can do bitcoins, to that he replied, heard about their illegality, but "if the homeland orders — do it."
Bitcoin and security
Cryptocurrency is very popular among hackers. The deep web (TOR) have become quite well known thanks to Edward Snowden, who passed secret data like times, payments between arms traffickers, drug dealers, killers and their clients generally take place using bitcoin. For example, over the past two years, drug traffickers have become in 20 times more likely to use bitcoins. This may be due to the increasing popularity of shadow of the Internet and the increase in the value of bitcoin. In addition, the TOR can be found that represent a threat to national security: as written in the media, one of the hidden sites collect bitcoins for the killers, which would eliminate the politicians and public figures, the result is something like a crowdfunding site to pay for the murders.
The government has not yet decided whether to allow the use of cryptocurrency in Russia: 16 September 2015 the Ministry of Finance suspected that in bitcoin there is a danger, 17 September the head of Sberbank German Gref has stood up for them and even admitted that he owns a certain number of them, September 18, the Central Bank established a working group to explore bitcoin. A week later, the Ministry of Finance proposed to punish the turnover cryptocurrency correctional labor for up to two years, and in March 2016, it called for tougher liability up to 7 years of imprisonment. The reason for such measures the Ministry considers the risk of money laundering and tax evasion. But on 12 August it became known that the Prosecutor General's office and the justice Ministry have so far refrained from imposing criminal liability for bitcoins.
Nikita Maslennikov, an expert on Economics, the Institute of contemporary development, told "Snob" about threats which might be borne by the cryptocurrency: "the bitcoin owners there are risks in the fluctuation of cryptocurrency, and law enforcement fear that criminal gangs can create a closed network for the exchange of bitcoins and instantly transfer money to each other, which would be impossible to track. In many countries this option is examined — the Americans learned how to effectively to stop such endeavors. Until that information about all transactions is public".
Similar is the opinion of Oleg Osorgin. He said that the technology, which is based on the cryptocurrency, making the business transparent because all transactions with its use can be seen. In the safe use of such currency entrepreneur has no doubts: "Cheat with bitcoin is impossible, because the algorithm cryptoservice very complex and not amenable to cracking at the moment".
The future of cryptocurrency
Nikita Maslennikov also told what place bitcoins can take in the future: "Imagine that there is a powerful technological wave, a cryptocurrency is a spray, a derivative of technological solutions, which will be followed by a new technological revolution. Sberbank research units are actively exploring the possibility of using cryptocurrencies, the Central Bank also has a group studying the financial technologies of a new generation. Digital currencies are evolving, and financial analysts compare them with the invention of the Internet. If bitcoin will be included in the mass life, the whole system will change: will change the relationship between the parties, there will be new services, the speed of delivery of existing change, the government will have new Supervisory structure. Similar transformations of the financial system was a few in the history of the world: first there was barter, then as money began using ingots of metals, later they began to mint coins on banknotes appeared, and now there is digital money. If the coin is feudalism, then the assignation is capitalism, and the current situation — the evidence of the transition of the world in a completely new quality. Now the banknotes are losing their popularity gradually, we come on a plastic stick. No one can say with certainty what is happening, but what is happening need to look closely not to hinder the development that was certain. I think that in the next 10-15 years the world financial system will change radically.
Alexander Kosovan
Tags: finances , bitcoin