South Korea said on Wednesday it may tax capital gains from cryptocurrency trading as global regulators worry about a bubble, with Australia's central bank chief warning of a "speculative mania" that has seen the digital asset make rip-roaring gains.
As bitcoin futures made their world debut on the U.S. stock exchange this week, policy makers have been forced to contend with cryptocurrencies becoming more of a mainstream play and the need to regulate them.
The world's biggest and best known cryptocurrency, bitcoin, surged past $17,000 (about ¥1.9 million) to new all-time highs this week, marking an almost dizzying 20-fold rise this year and feeding fears of a bubble.