Justin Kuepper 2016年8月9日
加密貨幣在上世紀90年代推出以來一直沒有被人們習慣，但是該技術的潛力最終獲得主流金融機構和專業人士的註意。因參與Facebook而聞名的Winklevoss兄弟計劃在今年末推出世界上最大的比特幣交易所交易基金，而且在世界一些世界大型銀行的底層技術註冊了一系列專利。
隨著比特幣受歡迎程度的增加，金融顧問面臨著來自行業前景和客戶的棘手問題。他們需要解決這些貨幣帶有的風險並提出建議，但是最終決定還是取決於客戶，金融顧問至少應該熟悉怎樣鑒別和購買加密貨幣。他們也應該告知客戶當地司法管轄區的加密貨幣稅務和法律問題。
在本文中，我們將讨論像比特幣一樣的加密貨幣和金融顧問需要了解什麼以便最好為他們的客戶服務。
加密貨幣，區塊鍊技術
加密貨幣是一種交換媒介，使用加密技術保證交易的安全並且控制貨幣數量的產生。與中央銀行印刷實際貨幣不同，加密貨幣依賴區塊鍊技術分散貨幣的制造過程。一個區塊鍊實際上是所有市場參與者的總賬。當有人想要加入這個總帳，這些參與者運行算法評估提交的交易並進行批準。
2009年，比特幣成為首個在市場上分散的加密貨幣，但是其發展過程卻充滿了曲折。2013年末Mt. Gox 成為了最受歡迎的比特幣交易所，處理市場總交易量的70%，但是該機構在2014年初倒閉，原因是價值4.5億美元的85萬比特幣失蹤。該機構關閉之前比特幣在地下市場Silk Road也變得臭名昭著。
在那之後許多加密貨幣開始出現，但是比特幣仍然是最流行的加密貨幣，2016年8月2日每個比特幣的售價為546.10美元。比特幣在整個互聯網的普遍性使其成為國家貨幣不穩定或者面臨貶值風險時一個不錯的代替品，其成熟性使它比許多努力獲得交易的新興加密貨幣可靠的多。
比特幣的優缺點
加密貨幣可能會在未來社會占據一席之地，但是這並不足以使其成為當前的安全投資產品。在許多方面，投資加密貨幣更像是投資新興市場貨幣，而不是美元或者歐元。作為投機來說可能是個不錯的選擇，但是價值的劇烈波動使其交不適合交易，其穩定性遠遠比價格上漲重要。
加密貨幣的優點包括：
欺詐：加密貨幣不能出現假幣並且不可能像信用卡付款一樣被撤消。
結算：加密貨幣交易都是立即結算不需要任何第三方批準。
不產生額外費用：加密貨幣不會產生任何的交易費用，因為生產者是由互聯網補償的。
加密貨幣的缺點包括：
沒有安全保障：加密貨幣可以被電子方式偷走，而且與信用卡不同，個人沒有任何持有的證明方式。
可擴展性：加密貨幣技術層面的可擴展性存在許多問題，這意味著他們距離替代信用卡還有很大的距離。
使用：現在接受比特幣付款的商家還非常少，這意味著其作為貨幣的功能受到限制。
總結
在過去幾年中加密貨幣已經變得非常流行，這意味著金融顧問應該與客戶讨論它們。由於這些貨幣的投機性非常高，金融顧問應該使客戶充分了解加密貨幣潛在的風險。客戶還應該向會計或者法律專業認識咨詢以確定使用比特幣在當地是否有其他的風險。
What Advisors Should Know About Cryptocurrencies
By Justin Kuepper | August 9, 2016 — 7:00 AM EDT
Cryptocurrencies may have been little more than a hobby since their introduction in the late 1990s, but the technology’s potential has finally started to catch the eye of mainstream financial institutions and professionals. The Winklevoss twins—famous for their involvement in Facebook Inc.—plan to launch the world’s first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) later this year, while the underlying technology has some of the world’s largest banks filing a flurry of patents.
As Bitcoin’s popularity grows, financial advisors are facing some tough questions and decisions from prospects and clients. They may explain the risks associated with these currencies and advise against them, but the decision is ultimately up to the client, and advisors should at least be familiar with how to identify and purchase cryptocurrencies. They should also be able to inform clients of any tax or legal issues surrounding cryptocurrencies in their jurisdiction.
In this article, we will take a look at cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and what financial advisors need to know in order to best serve their clients.
Cryptocurrency, Blockchain Technology
A cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure transactions and control the creation of units of currency. Unlike a central bank that prints physical currency, cryptocurrencies rely on blockchain technology to decentralize the process. A blockchain is essentially a ledger that’s kept by all participants in the market. When someone wants to add to it, these participants run algorithms to evaluate the proposed transaction and approve it.
In 2009, Bitcoin became the first major decentralized cryptocurrency in the market, but faced a number of growing pains. Mt. Gox became the most popular Bitcoin exchange by 2013—handling about 70% of all transactions—but the organization collapsed in early 2014 after 850,000 Bitcoins worth $450 million went missing. The currency also became infamous as a currency in the underground bazaar Silk Road before its shutdown.
Many other cryptocurrencies have sprung up since then, but Bitcoin remains the most popular with each BTC selling for about $546.10 as of Aug. 2, 2016. The ubiquity of the currency throughout the Internet has made it a popular alternative in countries where domestic currencies may be unstable or at risk for devaluation, while its maturity has made it a lot more reliable than many newer currencies that have struggled to gain traction.
Bitcoins Pros and Cons
Cryptocurrencies may have a place in society’s future, but that doesn’t necessarily make them safe investments right now. In many ways, investing in these currencies now is akin to investing in an emerging market currency rather than the dollar or the euro. It might make sense as a speculative move, but the dramatic swings in value make it a sub-par currency for transactions, where stability is much more important than price appreciation.
Some pros of cryptocurrencies include:
Fraud: Cryptocurrencies are impossible to counterfeit (unlike physical currencies) and cannot be reversed (like credit card chargebacks).
Settlement: Cryptocurrency transactions are immediately settled without any third-party approvals (like credit cards) or contracts.
No fees: Cryptocurrencies don’t incur any transaction fees since the miners are compensated by the network (they're paid to verify transactions).
Some cons of cryptocurrencies include:
No security: Cryptocurrencies can be electronically stolen and there is no recourse for the individual, unlike with a credit card.
Scalability: There are a lot of questions about the scalability of cryptocurrencies on a technical level, which means they may be far off from replacing credit cards.
Applications: There are relatively few merchants that accept Bitcoin payments as of right now, which means the usefulness as a currency may be limited.
The Bottom Line
Cryptocurrencies have become very popular over the past several years, which means that financial advisors should be able to discuss them with their clients. Since these currencies are often highly speculative, advisors should make clients aware of the potential risks associated with them. They may also want to consult with an accountant or legal professional to determine if there are any other risks with using cryptocurrencies in their jurisdiction.
本文翻譯由兄弟財經提供
文章來源：http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-advisor/080916/what-advisors-should-know-about-cryptocurrencies.asp