论区块链加密货币的刑法定性

On the Criminal Law Characterization of Blockchain Cryptocurrencies

随着区块链技术的日渐发展与主权国家法律治理的“左支右绌”,去中心化的互联网正在成为犯罪人心目中的“法外空间”。破局的关键是解决刑法教义学层面区块链加密货币的定性难题,而明确加密货币的刑法定性的前提是凝聚区块链加密货币相关概念的使用共识。通过检讨当前加密货币刑法定性的不同学说,可以发现泛泛而论采纳哪种学说并不妥当,而应结合加密货币的类型和应用场景具体分析。应从财产和金融资产两大维度检视加密货币的刑法属性。其一,加密货币并非虚拟财产,而是一种依托区块链软硬件系统且可作用于现实世界的真实财产,符合财物的特征。其二,应当肯定加密货币金融属性的区分说,准确识别符合证券特征的竞争币和代币,并明确比特币和稳定币可能具有的准货币性质。基于此,则可就加密货币相关犯罪作出更为妥当的教义学评价。

With the growing trend of blockchain technology and the uncertainty of legal governance of the sovereign states,the decentralised Internet is becoming a lawless space in the minds of criminals.The key in solving the problem is to resolve the difficult problem of characterising cryptocurrencies at the level of criminal law doctrine,and the prerequisite for clarifying the criminal law characterization of cryptocurrencies is to gather a consensus on the use of cryptocurrency-related concepts.By reviewing the different doctrines on the criminal law characterization of cryptocurrencies,we can find that it is inappropriate to generalise which doctrine should be adopted,and that specific analysis should be made in relation to the types and application contexts of cryptocurrencies.The criminal law attributes of cryptocurrencies can be examined from two dimensions:property and financial assets.Firstly,cryptocurrencies are not virtual property,but a kind of real property that relies on blockchain hardware and software system and can be used in the real world,which meets the characteristics of property.Secondly,the distinction of financial attributes of cryptocurrencies should be affirmed to accurately identify altcoins and tokens that meet the characteristics of securities,and to clarify the possible quasi-currency nature of bitcoin and stablecoin.A more appropriate doctrinal evaluation can be made on cryptocurrency-related crimes.