Bitcoin's Reawakening Drives Diehards Deeper Into the Shadows (original) (raw)

The uptick in regulatory scrutiny amid this year’s re-emergence of cryptocurrencies is driving some of the speculative asset classes’ biggest advocates further into the darkest corners of finance.

With Bitcoin’s price having more than tripled this year, regulators and politicians are tightening oversight of online exchanges. Users are increasingly being required to submit information such as IDs and addresses. Even LocalBitcoins.com, a site long used to exchange fiat for tokens, in June prohibited cash transactions and began requiring more personal information to comply with tighter local laws. The shift is giving a boost to a cottage industry of sites that typically don’t ask for any personal data: peer-to-peer exchanges.