新加坡首台比特币ATM拟于3月中亮相

Singapore's first Bitcoin ATM will be unveiled in mid-March, according to the owner of Bitcoin Exchange, a new company aiming to capitalize on demand for the much-discussed cryptocurrency.

Zann Kwan, a 37-year-old Singaporean, told The Wall Street Journal the machine will allow patrons to exchange cash for the currency by scanning a code on their phones and then simply inserting bills.

'The Bitcoin community in Singapore is growing, and we see more people using Bitcoin as a mode of payment in shops and bars,' she said. Kwan purchased the machine, which retails for $5,000, from a British Virgin Islands-based maker called Lamassu, and said she plans to open up to four more by the end of the year.

The location for the first has yet to be determined, but she is targeting shopping malls.

Singapore's Inland Revenue Authority announced recently it would treat Bitcoin as a service, not money or currency, and even published tax guidance. The Monetary Authority of Singapore, however, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the legality of Bitcoin ATMs. Kwan said she did not expect any difficulties.

Depending on when it arrives, Kwan's machine could become Asia's first Bitcoin ATM. Last month Jordan Kelley, the 27-year-old chief executive of the Las Vegas-based Bitcoin ATM maker Robocoin, said his firm would open a unit in Hong Kong by the end of January. But the opening has been delayed as it is still completing the certification process.

'It's imminent,' he said, declining to give a new time frame. Kelley said the company would soon be targeting China, Australia, and Singapore, as well.

Even if Kwan beats Kelley in opening the region's first ATM, he dismissed Lamassu's machines as lacking in functionality, since they merely allow patrons to add cash to Bitcoin accounts. His machines, on the other hand, are more like traditional ATMs. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, for its part, has said it does not regulate Bitcoin.

'Robocoin is the only company with ATMs that have cash come in and out,' he said, allowing both deposits and cash withdrawals. Offering a worldwide network of robust Bitcoin ATMs is 'crucial' to bringing the virtual currency 'to the masses,' he said.

In response, Lamassu Chief Executive Zach Harvey said that his company provides a more profitable model for owners, since Lamassu does not take a cut of transaction fees, as Robocoin does.

David Moskowitz, who runs a Singapore-based Bitcoin exchange called Coin Republic, said he's not threatened by Kwan's planned ATM, even though patrons might elect to use one of her machines rather than employ his services.

'I don't view it as competition,' he said, noting that it would help build awareness of the currency. 'It will be great for the Bitcoin ecosystem.'

据比特币交易公司Bitcoin Exchange的所有者、现年37岁的新加坡人关贞(Zann Kwan, 音译)透露，新加坡首台比特币(Bitcoin)自动柜员机(ATM)将于3月中旬亮相。Bitcoin Exchange是一家新公司，计划利用比特币这种引起广泛讨论的加密货币所受需求大赚一笔。

关贞告诉《华尔街日报》(Wall Street Journal)，顾客可以通过扫描手机代码和插入钞票的方式，用现金兑换比特币。

她表示，比特币在新加坡的使用范围正不断扩大，可以看到越来越多的人在商店和酒吧用比特币进行支付。关贞以5,000美元的价格从英属维京群岛制造商Lamassu手中购买了一台比特币ATM，并计划在年底前再投放不超过四台。

第一台ATM的安装地点尚未确定，不过关贞把目光对准了购物商场。

新加坡国税局(Inland Revenue Authority)最近宣布，将把比特币视为一种服务，而非金钱或货币，甚至还公布了税收指导。但是新加坡金管局(Monetary Authority of Singapore)没有立即回覆记者有关比特币ATM合法性的置评请求。关贞表示，预计不会遇到任何困难。

关贞的ATM有望成为亚洲首台比特币ATM，这将取决于该ATM运抵新加坡的时间。总部位于拉斯维加斯的比特币ATM制造商Robocoin的首席执行长、现年27岁的凯利(Jordan Kelley)上个月曾表示，该公司的比特币ATM将在1月底前登陆香港。但是目前已经推迟，因为仍在进行认证工作。

凯利表示，比特币ATM即将亮相，但是拒绝透露新的时间表。他称，该公司也计划很快在中国大陆、澳大利亚和新加坡推出比特币ATM。

即使关贞先于凯利在亚洲投放了首台比特币ATM，凯利依旧对Lamassu公司的ATM看不上眼，原因是后者的ATM功能不全，只允许顾客在比特币账户中存入现金。而凯利的ATM更像传统的ATM。香港金融管理局(Hong Kong Monetary Authority)已表示，比特币不在其监管职责范围内。

凯利表示，Robocoin生产的比特币ATM是唯一可以存取现金的此类ATM。在全球范围内布置功能强大的比特币ATM网络对于向大众推广比特币这种虚拟货币至关重要。

Lamassu的首席执行长Zach Harvey回应称，他的公司为比特币所有人提供了更赚钱的交易方式，因为Lamassu不收取交易费，这一点与Robocoin不同。

新加坡比特币交易公司Coin Republic的负责人大卫•莫斯科维茨(David Moskowitz)表示，虽然关贞计划推出ATM，但是对他不会构成威胁，即便是顾客可能选择使用关贞的ATM而不是他的服务。

莫斯科维茨称，并没有把比特币ATM视为竞争对手，并称推出ATM有助于打响比特币的知名度。这对比特币生态系统而言是件好事。