摘要
From the start of November, the online virtual currency bitcoin has constantly appreci- ated. On November 18, its exchange rate to the U.S. dollar hit a record high of $569 per bitcoin. On the same day, in what became the cause of the rapid appreciation, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on the risks of virtual currencies such as bitcoin, throwing the currency into the limelight.