| 摘要: | 隨著電子數位科技的不斷進步，電子交易及塑膠貨幣的興起，金錢的意義不再是白花花的鈔票，取而代之的只是電子交易（Electronic Data Interchange）中所呈現的數字，藉由數字的交易及金融商品來處理商品的買賣，並且作為消費的憑證，甚至是跨國之間的商務貿易；數位化交易帶來相當程度的便利性，使得交易可以方便地進行而不受地域及時間的限制，只要是透過合法的幣值交易及國家授權的金融機構，交易在雙方授權之下就能夠進行。在手持裝置不斷大量被使用的前提之下，用戶更可以透過行動裝置再加上授權的應用軟體（APP; Application）便可進行交易，轉帳、消費、甚至是投資理財等，無不一可以利用線上交易來完成；尤其像是中國大陸跳脫了西方國家常使用的塑膠貨幣，而直接利用行動裝置達成“無現金化社會”的目標。
無論如何，任何的電子交易仍然需要透過銀行或是認證的第三方機構來完成，不過近年來，去中心化（decentralized）電子交易所衍生的加密貨幣（cryto-currency或稱虛擬貨幣）也孕育而生，它去除銀行作為中間機構的仲介角色，取而代之的是以點對點（peer-to peer）的行為模式讓付款方及收款方進行直接的交易行為，其優點是：轉帳無需再透過第三方來完成、減少交易（轉帳）時間、匿名化的交易而無需讓他人知道交易的行為及目的、並且交易過程無法被竄改等特性，也大大的促成加密貨幣（crypto-currency）的興起，金融監管機制將不再擁有管理及追蹤金錢流向的地位，此外，加密貨幣並無匯兌清算機制，雖然，跨國金融不需依靠國家間的匯率機制，這看似打破國與國之間的疆界，但是，它破壞了長久以來所建立的交易制度，甚至可能造成金融體制的崩壞。
所以，加密貨幣是否可以成為法定貨幣？還是，它屬於我國民法中所提及的物權？或是為一個交易平台？它所帶來金融業的衝擊，不只是一個平台或是貨幣，它的去中心化價值可以為金融業帶來怎樣的衝擊及是否會觸及法令都值得再深入探討。各國的金融體制不容許被破壞，在過去的歷史證明，金融體制的破壞將造成社會的動盪不安，但是，在不影響現有法令或是稍作修法的前提之下，新的交易行為模式是否可以帶給這個傳統又封閉的金融體系另一個活路，讓科技的演進可以帶給人類更多的便利，這也是本文探討的方向。
With technology development, the electronic exchange and plastic currency become mainstream payment tools, the meaning of money is not just a banking note or coin, instead of that, it is a number during the electronic data interchange. Through the number from accounts, the consumer could pay the product and receive the payment, those numbers become the evident of payment. The digital data exchange bought us the convenience, buy-and sell activities will not depend on location and no need the face-to face, which makes international trading without boundary. Nowadays, the handheld devices are widely utilized in our daily life, the user can rely on their devices plus application to process the payment, transfer currency, or even deal with investment, almost everything can be done on-line and no need to tight by location and time-zone differently. Especially, we can see Mainland China consumers jump-over the plastic currency payment, directly utilizes mobile payment process to deal with their daily life, which is a breakthrough compare with other countries. This kind of trend can not be avoided and we also need to face it.
No matter what, any kind of electronic payment still requires official financial institution provides their clearance and settlement processes to complete the payment transition, but it seems like this kind of standard procedure has a big challenger, which is crypto-currency. It is a decentralized data exchange models, no needs to have middleman to complete the payment process, directly bridge payee and receiver without go through the bank, just likes face-to face payment process. The advantage is that all the payment transition will not require third-party, shorten the payment process, pseudonymous while payment, no one can modify entire records and so on, so more and more cypher-scientist participates the new cryptocurrency development. Although, the decentralization payment process has removed the middleman and provided such lots of advantages, but it is not appreciated by the most of governments since the peer-to-peer process might involve money-laundry and other illegal activities. Of course, the reason of financial regulation is an important topic for every single country, maintain the financial stability and set-up barrier to stabilize currency, so the country can maintain its position in the internal market.
Therefore, can we still expect crypto-currency become legal currency in the future? Or it should be defined as a “property” according to our civil law? Or crypto-currency can be a trading platform? No matter government is willing to accept the crypto-currency or not. This kind of working model will continuous attract many of cypher-scientist to participate the development and also many of investor to utilize crypto-currency to absorb public funding, which will be definitely impacted the financial market. This is the topic we can not avoid, and we need to face the development. |
