Crypto Critics Face Backlash for Misconceptions

加密貨幣批評者因誤解而面臨強烈反對

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari has sparked controversy by asserting that cryptocurrency is primarily used for illicit activities.

明尼阿波利斯聯邦儲備銀行主席尼爾·卡什卡里聲稱加密貨幣主要用於非法活動，引發了爭議。

At a Wisconsin Town Hall event, Kashkari claimed that "very few transactions were actually happening" in crypto, stating:

在威斯康辛州市政廳的一次活動中，Kashkari 聲稱加密貨幣“實際上發生的交易很少”，並表示：

"They're not paying for goods and services using crypto [...] It almost never happens unless people are buying drugs or other illegal activities."

“他們不會使用加密貨幣來支付商品和服務……除非人們購買毒品或進行其他非法活動，否則這種情況幾乎永遠不會發生。”

Kashkari's comments have been refuted by industry experts. Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter denounced them as "absurdly wrong" and emphasized Kashkari's influence as a top financial regulator.

卡什卡里的言論遭到了業界專家的反駁。 Castle Island Ventures 合夥人 Nic Carter 譴責他們“錯誤得荒謬”，並強調了 Kashkari 作為最高金融監管機構的影響力。

Hailey Lennon of Brown Rudnick added that legitimate crypto projects implement robust anti-money laundering measures, making physical cash more commonly used for illegal purposes.

Brown Rudnick 的 Hailey Lennon 補充說，合法的加密貨幣計畫實施了強而有力的反洗錢措施，使得實體現金更常用於非法目的。

Kashkari, a long-standing Bitcoin skeptic, echoed similar sentiments from other policymakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Brad Sherman.

卡什卡里是一位長期對比特幣持懷疑態度的人，他也呼應了參議員伊麗莎白·沃倫和國會議員布拉德·謝爾曼等其他政策制定者的類似觀點。

However, blockchain data contradicts Kashkari's claims. A Chainalysis report revealed that in 2023, only 0.34% of crypto transactions were linked to illegal activities, a significant decline from the peak of 1.29% in 2019.

然而，區塊鏈數據與卡什卡里的說法相矛盾。 Chainaanalysis 報告顯示，2023 年，只有 0.34% 的加密貨幣交易與非法活動有關，較 2019 年 1.29% 的峰值大幅下降。

Notably, Kashkari's comments follow a suggestion by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis to tax or ban Bitcoin to address budget deficits. In the past, he has dismissed crypto assets and CBDCs as "handwaving world salad" and likened Bitcoin to a "giant garbage dumpster."

值得注意的是，卡什卡里的評論是在明尼阿波利斯聯邦儲備銀行建議對比特幣徵稅或禁止比特幣以解決預算赤字之後提出的。過去，他曾將加密資產和 CBDC 視為“揮手的世界沙拉”，並將比特幣比作“巨大的垃圾箱”。