Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee is launching an inquiry into "the current and future nature, impact, and risks of cryptocurrencies."
Labour MP Duncan Webb, chairman of the committee, says the inquiry will provide a good opportunity to further members' understanding of an increasingly important area.
The terms of reference for the inquiry are:
• To inquire into, and establish the nature and benefits of cryptocurrencies:
• To establish how crypto-currencies are created and traded.
• To understand the environmental impact of ‘mining’ crypto-currencies.
• To identify risks to users and traders of crypto-currencies.
• To identify the risks crypto-currencies pose to the monetary system and financial stability, including tax implications, in New Zealand.
• To establish how crypto-currencies are used by criminal organisations.
• To establish whether means exist to regulate crypto-currencies, either by sovereign states, central banks, or multi-lateral co-operation.
Webb says committee members look forward to engaging with some of New Zealand’s cryptocurrency experts. He says the committee will make further announcements on the dates and nature of the inquiry "in due course."
The inquiry follows a motion from committee member, Labour MP and former President of the New Zealand Police Association, Greg O’Connor.
64 Comments
Get ready for a load of FUD and inadequate research from another inept government group.
I really hope they take a non bias approach to this, but that is a slim hope, as they depend on the fiat system for their income.
I also wonder if they will differentiate Bitcoin from all the other cryptocurrencies.
I've never understood why we need a method of exchange outside a countries formal currency. Its all just a method of bartering at the end of the day.
For most people fiat cash is just a transaction on the short term, we don't hold huge cash savings. Money earned comes in, expenses go out. So the currency I want to use for the everyday comes down to ease of use and how widespread it is accepted. Your not going to replace your use of nzd to buy groceries, so for the average user why bother with another currency? Your work is never going to offer payment in multiple currencies, nor will IRD accept bitcoin for tax payments.
And as a store of value its useless when there is so much speculation,competition and lack of stability.
Original theory aside, I've always thought that cryptos are a nice idea, but never really clear on what (in practice) collective bitcoin owners are trying to achieve. Aside from, it's new tech, it's cool and it's rising in value.
Bitcoin has a 12 year track record of being a reliable network, producing block after block with no changes to the hard coded base rules.
It has a completely decentralised development system with no one person in control of the network. There is a delicate balance between miners who secure the network and the also globally distributed node network who verify there have been no fraudulent transactions or other nefarious activities.
It also is the only crypto currency to have reached a 1 Trillion $ market cap, be recongnised as a national currency in El Salvador, has significant institutional investment and is allowed to be custodied by American Banks.
It is leagues beyond any other cryptocurrencies with Ethereum being the next closest competitor, and that is still in beta phase with constant and significant changes to both its base operating code and emission schedule.
Anyone can create an ERC20 based token today and that would be considered a crypto currency (5000 and counting), yet you are asking what is the difference between Bitcoin and the rest of them.
To be fair I was asking it rhetorically. Ethereum for example could well be significantly better than bitcoin and all of your arguments are simply scales, and a line drawn on a scale is arbitrary. All you have actually done is explain why bitcoin will be treated like any other crypto, which is obvious and why I asked rhetorically. Good shilling though, keep it up.
Ethereum will never be hard money like Bitcoin, have you seen a chart of its emission schedule? looks like a kid drew a squiggle on a chart haha , but if it does try to be a hard capped asset, it is still going to take 12 years to just get to the point of trustworthiness that Bitcoin is a today:
"It is leagues beyond any other cryptocurrencies with Ethereum being the next closest competitor, and that is still in beta phase with constant and significant changes to both its base operating code and emission schedule."
This is categorically false. Btc added P2SH, RBF, cltv, csv. Btc added segwit which segregates digital signitures.
A coin is described as a chain of digital signitures. Btc devs have fundamentally changed the ruleset and no longer follows the Bitcoin White Paper so cannot be Bitcoin anymore. That is centralised. Only BitcoinSV has a locked in protocol so no one can change the ruleset which makes it the only chain that is not central planned.
Also btc has about a 2mb block size. No capacity for nz adoption, never mind the globe
Eh. FUD is often used wrongly when referring to an opinion that is genuine criticism, but a lot of 'criticism' is just factually wrong, or taken from an extremely biased/pessimistic point of view and not based on a fair assessment of the facts. Such criticism as this is sometimes due to ignorance, but more often due to plain spite, mixed with ignorance (ie, not knowing what they don't know, and not caring to know out of spite).
That is to say, most 'criticism' of cryptocurrencies is in fact FUD and not something grounded in facts. By taking the approach of "anyone who says the word FUD is in a cult" you're leaping to the same sort of extreme as people who post FUD themselves are doing.
As soon as I hear someone use the term 'FUD', I stop taking them seriously
While I understand what you're saying, it's pretty clear (to me anyway) that there is an orchestrated propaganda campaign against crypto. Call me paranoid or whatever, but I'm with the ultra orthodox on this one.
I take it you have heard of the Cantillon effect? There is definitely a big difference between how reliant on the money printer different positions/jobs are on the money printer going Brrr.
Money is all a faith system, and I have a lot more faith in hard coded maths that can not be changed without my permission than I do in fiat currencies that can be printed, devalued and controlled at the whim of a small number of elites who think they know what is best.
No doubt it will take time for a circular Bitcoin economy to develop, and I am happy to wait.
Um I think your last 2 points are describing the current system...?? Ever decreasing interest rates anyone.
Yes
the last two sentences describe the current system ... it will only hold until faith breaks - which physical problems in supply chains will force...
But if you think there can be a working supply chain delivering Ranger Utes without fiat debt, you're dreamin
A "circular" economy (even if possible) immediately implies simplicity ... local and basic
can Bitcoining fix this ...
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/a-country-running-on-empty-leb…
https://saifedean.com/podcast/bitcoin-in-lebanon-with-thomas-semaan/
Might be able to give you some ideas.
Saifedean has talked many times about how Bitcoin can help struggling countries, especially his home country of Lebanon.
haha blaming a means of payment for their security flaws. Its not like hacking and ransom demands were non existant before cryptocurrencies were around.
And criminals are usually the first to adopt new technology because it is better than the legacy system, and regulators are behind the 8 ball.
"Cryptocurrencies are almost entirely used for illicit activity, gambling and investment frauds, and on the whole have no upside for society at large while also having unbounded downside and massive negative externalities." tells me all I need to know about the authors opinion to not take it seriously. It means they have done minimal research.
I don't know if anyone here is using Binance but this could be the time to move your assets to another exchange.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/clear-junction-no-longer-facilitate-1810…
I also can't imagine Labour looking favourably on mining either.
In many ways, this is 'non-news.' Furthermore, NZ banks (except ASB) will not facilitate payments to credible Aussie exchange Independent Reserve. Of course banks don't mind payments to dubious financial instruments for which they get a cut of the action. The regulators are running scared, not protecting people.
In what way is this non news? Should people not expect crypto to be liquid or that no one can transfer from Binance to NZ anyway?
There is more to this story but if you don't agree that a crackdown on being able to cash out and and others buy in is bad then there is zero chance of accepting the rest.
Is the select committee timing just a coincidence to the crypto people here?
Just skimmed the top paragraph, looking for a source. It was last week you could not withdraw, I have not kept up.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/08/binance-uk-crackdown-boosts-rival-crypt…
This is a global anti money laundering crackdown, if your fine with this risk when there are alternatives not being hit by regulators. Currently being able to withdraw from a non compliant exchange makes this less bad, I guess.
Edit:
Article from to today: Clear Junction "decided to suspend both GBP and EUR payments and will no longer be facilitating deposits or withdrawals"
https://decrypt.co/75770/binance-dropped-european-payment-processor-cle…
Why? The inquiry will be shallow. They don't have enough people and time to do this properly. The only submissions they will take notice of are those that fit within vested interests. I expect some of the ultra orthodox will come out with some wild submissions but they will be treated much like the religious zealots promoting salvation through Christ on crowded city streets.
Within 'their' vested interests. BTW, the NZ Super Fund has invested in Gemini. I wonder if any negative outcomes will require the Fund to liquidate that investment. I know it's not a cypto investment, but it's essentially an investment into the technology developments built around crypto.
Or how the police have absolutly no idea how to even look after the few Bitcoin they have lol:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/criminals-steal-45000-in-bitcoin-during-p….
No time to investigate why Treasury makes guesses to support Labours budget house growth estimate shemozzle, but lots of time to "establish how crypto-currencies are created and traded".
My confidence in a Labour committee to shed light on anything crypto is Nil, and I rather suspect their intent is to look for a way to tax Crypto, expect a pointless and outcome free inquiry.
NZ are so progressive that they will most likely accept bitcoin as legal tender well before most other countries. But the banks will resist until they can make money from it, and the only way they can make money from it will be in the form of fees - I'm ok with that.
Bitcoin was designed to fit into existing laws and regulations and tracing laws. It is a transparent, immutable, public ledger. It is a commodity and money. Bit(data) Coin(money), Bitcoin is the most efficient data management tool that has ever been invented. Is was designed for small casual transactions that out competes payment processors such as paypal, visa and mastercard and can do that today. This was all outlined in the technical paper called the Bitcoin White Paper. There was only ever supposed to be Bitcoin not thousands of different coins that do almost absolutely nothing when it is far more logical and efficient to use one global blockchain. Bitcoin can do anything all other blockchains are trying to achieve but magnitudes better.
BitcoinSV is the only chain that directly follows the White Paper and what SN described as the original Bitcoin. BSV is Bitcoin, not btc, not bch. Bitcoin(BSV) has more activity and more transactions than any other blockchain. In about 2 weeks time Bitcoin(BSV) will be doing more transactions than all cryptocurrencies combined. Btc does approx 5-7 transactions per sec (tps) BitcoinSV does 50000-100000 tps. I am only scratching the surface here on Bitcoins history and what Bitcoin is. I am happy to answer any questions. This will all become clearer to all very soon. Also, bitcoin.org the original bitcoin website can no longer host the Bitcoin White Paper in the UK and point it towards btc as btc is not Bitcoin. This is just the beginning, COPA is next
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