2021年经济学人 萨尔瓦多的比特币合法化开局不顺

Business

商业

El Salvador’s roll-out of bitcoin as legal tender got off to a shaky start.

萨尔瓦多推出比特币作为法定货币的开局并不顺利。

The Central American country is the first in the world to adopt the cryptocurrency as an official means of exchange; it now uses bitcoin alongside the American dollar.

这个中美洲国家是世界上第一个采用加密货币作为官方交易手段的国家；该国现在比特币和美元并用。

Systems were overwhelmed as people downloaded the government-backed Chivo, or “cool”, e-wallet, after the government offered $30-worth of free bitcoin as an incentive¹.

政府提供了价值30美元的免费比特币作为奖励后，人们下载了政府支持的Chivo（又称“酷”）电子钱包，系统不堪重负。

The roll-out added to already volatile² trading in bitcoin; at one point the price plunged³ so fast it was described as a “flash crash”.

比特币的推出加剧了本已动荡的比特币交易；币价一度暴跌，速度之快被形容为“闪电崩盘”。

Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, revealed that America’s Securities and Exchange Commission is threatening to sue it, if it brings a product to market that allows users to lend their cryptoassets and earn interest on the loan.

加密货币交易所Coinbase透露，美国证券交易委员会威胁称，如果Coinbase将一款允许用户出借加密资产并赚取贷款利息的产品推向市场，将会遭到起诉。

The company suggested that this may be because the SEC classifies the product as a security (therefore falling outside existing lending regulations), but it had not been given an official explanation.

该公司表示，这可能是因为美国证券交易委员会将该产品归类为证券(因此不符合现有的贷款规定)，但它没有得到官方解释。

SoftBank’s stock surged after it announced a complex deal that gives it a 4.5% stake in Deutsche Telekom in return for a chunk⁴ of its shares in T-Mobile US, in which Deutsche Telekom is already the largest investor⁵.

软银在宣布一项复杂的交易后股价大涨，该交易让软银以其在T-Mobile US的大量股份换取德国电信4.5%的股份，而德国电信已经是T-Mobile US的最大投资者。

The German telecoms company will then sell off T-Mobile Netherlands for $6.1bn and buy more shares in the American wireless⁶ business.

随后，这家德国电信公司将以61亿美元的价格出售T-Mobile荷兰公司，并增持美国无线业务的股份。

SoftBank benefits through a strategic arrangement that gives it access to Deutsche Telekom’s European customer base.

软银通过一项战略安排获得了德国电信的欧洲客户群，并从中受益。

Both Didi Global and Beijing’s city government denied media reports that the city government is considering taking the ride-hailing company under state control and arranging this by directing state firms to invest in it.

滴滴全球和北京市政府都否认了媒体的报道，即市政府正考虑将这家叫车公司纳入国家控制，并通过指示国有企业投资来安排此事。

Didi is one of the targets of China’s crackdown on influential⁷ tech companies.

滴滴是中国打击有影响力科技公司的目标之一。

In July it was ordered to pull its app from app stores after it completed a successful IPO in New York.

今年7月，该公司在纽约成功完成IPO后，被勒令将其应用程序从应用商店中下架。

1 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

4 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

5 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

6 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。