re: #209 Dark_Falcon

That last is going to be the rudest surprise to the dudebros. If Bitcoin survives for a while, much of its trading will be done by large trading institutions, simply because those are the places that deal in currencies. I predict 2014 will see a number of dudebro stories saying “The Big Banks are taking over our Bitcoins!!1”.

Well, China is preventing its banks from trading in bitcoins, and I reckon the Fed has imposed similar restrictions on US banks. The main trading sites are independent and private outfits, like mtgox,com and btc-e.com, which could disappear in a puff of smoke for any number of reasons.

Libertarians say the courts will take care of any disputes caused by fraud or negligence; therefore, there’s no need for regulation of the bitcoin markets. That’s their story now. I’m waiting for what the dudebros will say when they lose thousands of dollars when their fave bitcoin exchange closes up shop forever, or when their assets get frozen by some national law enforcement agency.