FX.co ★ UK island wants to cash in on Bitcoins

An island that belongs to the UK approached the Royal Mint about an offbeat order. Alderney wants to launch itself as the first international center for Bitcoin transactions. Alderney authorities have been working on plans to issue physical Bitcoins in partnership with the UK’s Royal Mint for several months. Moreover, they plan to set up exchanges, special payment systems, and even a Bitcoin storage vault in the long term. The scheme hammered out by Alderney is simple at first glance: the Mint would issue and sell the commemorative Bitcoin, receiving revenue, while Alderney would get royalties from sales of the coins.
Happy owners of such coins would be unable to pay for goods and services, but would be able to exchange them for virtual Bitcoins, which would be held in special digital storage facilities by Alderney.
Moreover, Alderney wants to be officially recognized as the cluster of services that are compliant with anti-money laundering rules. David Janczewski, the representative of the Royal Mint, confirmed that the finance minister of Alderney asked him to “explore the possibility of manufacturing a physical commemorative coin with a Bitcoin theme”. However, “discussions have not progressed further and at this stage it remains nothing more than a concept,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that the virtual money is backed by nothing. Nevertheless, its cost is increasing. In early 2013, the virtual currency was trading around $13. In November, it rallied to $1,242, though afterwards it fell. Today, the price is $840. During the history of Bitcoins, no government mint has minted suchlike coins.