澳大利亞將拍賣沒收的比特幣

Australia is selling A$16m (US$11m) in confiscated bitcoins in the first of such auctions held outside the US, as demand for the cryptocurrency surges to its highest level in alMost two years.

澳大利亞將出售政府沒收的價值1600萬澳元（合1100萬美元）的比特幣，這將是在美國以外首次舉行此類拍賣。目前市場對這種加密貨幣的需求飆升至近兩年的最高水平。

EY, the auditing and financial services group, said on Monday it had been engaged to sell 24,518 bitcoins, which were confiscated as “proceeds of crime” during 2015.

審計和金融服務集團安永(EY)週一表示，它已受託出售24518枚比特幣，它們是在2015年作爲“犯罪所得”被沒收的。

The auction comes as the value of the world’s most popular digital currency hit $534.47, its highest since August 2014, according to CoinDesk, which operates a bitcoin price index.

澳大利亞舉行此次拍賣之際，根據提供比特幣價格指數的CoinDesk的數據，這種世界上最流行的數字貨幣的價值漲至534.47美元，爲自2014年8月以來最高。

Prices have risen about 25 per cent since the start of the year, putting the market value of all bitcoin in circulation at $8.29bn.

自今年初以來，比特幣價格已上漲約25%，使投入流通的所有比特幣的市場價值達到82.9億美元。

“The trading history of bitcoin has been volatile,” said Adam Nikitins, EY transactions partner. “But we are now seeing a more steady increase in prices and we are confident of having a hotly contested auction.”

“比特幣的交易歷史一直起伏不定，”安永交易業務合夥人亞當•尼特金斯(Adam Nikitins)表示。“但我們現在看到價格呈現比較穩定的上漲，我們有信心舉辦一場競拍踊躍的拍賣。”

The US Marshals Service conducted several similar bitcoin auctions in 2014 and 2015, which were recovered during the prosecution of Ross William Ulbricht, founder of a black market website known as the Silk Road.

美國法警局(US Marshals Service)曾在2014年和2015年舉行了數次類似的比特幣拍賣，那些比特幣是在對黑市網站“絲路”(Silk Road)創始人羅斯•威廉•烏布利希(Ross William Ulbricht)提起公訴的過程中收繳的。

EY did not reveal the identity of the vendor for its Australian auction, which is believed to be an arm of the Australian government. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in October 2014 that criminal authorities had confiscated 24,500 bitcoins from a Melbourne-based drug dealer.

安永沒有透露其澳大利亞拍賣會的賣主身份，據信那是澳大利亞政府的一個部門。《悉尼先驅晨報》(Sydney Morning Herald)曾在2014年10月報道，刑事當局從一個墨爾本毒販沒收了24500枚比特幣。

Australia’s bitcoin sale will be conducted via a 48-hour sealed bid auction beginning at 12.01am on June 20. Bidders are able to submit bids on 11 lots of 2,000 bitcoins and one lot of 2,518 bitcoins, and can bid on multiple lots.

澳大利亞的比特幣出售將通過48小時密封投標拍賣進行，從6月20日零時01分開始。競拍人將能夠對11手2000枚比特幣和一手2518枚比特幣投標，可以對多手投標。

Mr Nikitins said he expected interest from digital asset managers, digital currency exchanges, and investment banks and hedge funds, which were experienced in dealing with bitcoins.

安永的尼特金斯表示，他預計在處理比特幣方面經驗豐富的各類機構都會有興趣，包括數字資產管理人、數字貨幣兌換機構，以及投資銀行和對衝基金。

“Interest in this technology continues to grow. The number of bitcoin transactions since 2012 has quadrupled and parties are seeing more opportunities and uses for the technology,” he said.

“對這一技術的興趣繼續增長。2012年以來比特幣交易數量翻了兩番，各方都看到了該技術的更多機會和用途，”他說。