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　　For many in the bitcoin industry, Western Union is the epitome of everything that’s wrong with traditional finance – one might say it’s the Blockbuster Video of a financial world that is on the verge of a Netflix solution.

　　对比特币行业的许多人来说，西联汇款是传统金融一切不好事物的缩影，有人可能会说这是接近于Netflix解决方案的金融世界中的Blockbuster Video。

　　As a result of this complicated history, bitcoin commentators took aim at Western Union’s latest act in the digital currency space: its public comment on New York’s controversial BitLicense proposal.

　　由于这种复杂历史的结果，比特币评论员瞄准了西联汇款在数字货币空间的最新表现：关于纽约有争议的BitLicense提案的公众意见。

　　Published last week as part of a release of more than 3,700 comments that included big-name brands like Amazon and Walmart, it was Western Union’s submission that perhaps drew the most attention and scrutiny, with some critics calling attention to language that was allegedly anti-competitive, and by extension, anti-bitcoin.

　　上周公布的3700多条评论中，其中一部分包括知名品牌如亚马逊和沃尔玛，西联汇款的意见书可能引起了最多的关注和审查，一些批评者呼吁关注据称是反竞争甚至是反比特币的语言。

　　Though some passages would seem to support this notion at first glance, legal experts working in the bitcoin space largely disagreed with the interpretation of the community at large.

　　虽然乍一看有些段落似乎支持这一观点，但是在比特币行业工作的法律专家大多数不同意社会的解释。

　　Speaking to CoinDesk, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman attorney Marco Santori summed up this assessment, stating:

　　说起CoinDesk，Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman代理人Marco Santori总结了这一评估，指出：

　　“Despite popular opinion to the contrary, Western Union’s recommendations telegraphed support for its involvement in the digital currency industry. Nearly every suggestion, save oversight for placement of kiosks, seemed geared toward creating a workable regulatory environment for all of us.”

　　“尽管与流行的观点相反，西联汇款的建议透露出其对参与的数字货币业的支持。除了对信息亭地点的监督，几乎每条建议看起来都在为我们所有人创造一个可行的监管环境

　　While the surveyed legal experts agreed Western Union is certainly viewing developments in the bitcoin ecosystem through the lens of its own business interests, they suggested the filing shows it is seeking to prepare for the technology, should it prove more beneficial to its business model.

　　而受访的法律专家同意西联汇款确实可以通过自身商业利益的镜头查看比特币生态系统的发展，他们提议的文件中显示它正在寻求技术筹备，它应该证明其商业模式更有利。

　　Fair playing field

　　公平的竞争环境

　　Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph, PL attorney Andrew Ittleman echoed Santori’s remarks, stating that while larger companies will commonly use regulatory processes to burden smaller competitors, Western Union’s filing shows little evidence that it is looking to engage in such behavior.

　　Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph, PL公司的一位律师Andrew Ittleman同意Santori的言论，他指出较大的公司通常会使用监管流程来压倒较小的竞争者，而西联汇款的提案几乎没有证据表明它正在参与这种行为。

　　Ittleman suggested that big corporations will typically argue for tighter regulation, making the case that in the absence of such rulemaking, they might not have the same incentive to provide their products and services to consumers.

　　Ittleman认为大公司通常会主张更严格的监管，使得在没有这样的规则制定下，他们可能不会具有同样的动机为消费者提供其产品和服务。

　　“Western Union’s is different,” Ittleman said. “I think that the tone that Western Union takes is for the most part reasonable, and I don’t think it shows on the part of Western Union some sort of intention to destroy the burgeoning virtual currency industry.”

　　Ittleman说：“西联汇款是不同的，我认为，西联汇款采取的基调在大多数情况下是合理的，并且我不认为它显示了西联汇款某种摧毁新兴虚拟货币行业的意图。”

　　Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC attorney Aaron Kaplan posited that part of the filing can be read to suggest that Western Union may be interested in partnering with the industry.

　　Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC律师Aaron Kaplan假定可以读取的部分文件显示西联汇款可能有意与业界建立合作关系。

　　In particular, he points to the following section, which reads:

　　他特别指出以下部分，内容如下：

　　“We request clarification that if we provide a money transfer to a consumer who has separately agreed to a transaction directly with a VC Licensee as described in the following examples, we would not be engaged in a Virtual Currency Business Activity.”

　　“我们要求澄清一点，如果我们为消费者提供汇款，而消费者分别同意了直接与风险投资许可人的交易，就像下面描述的例子一样，我们将不会从事任何虚拟货币的商业活动。”

　　Kaplan said that this section further suggests Western Union may also be considering how it could “offer a compliance type service to virtual currency licensees”, while additional portions imply it could use bitcoin to fund money transfers.

　　Kaplan说这部分进一步表明西联汇款也可能会考虑它如何能“为虚拟货币许可人提供一种遵从型服务”，而另外的部分意味着它可以使用比特币进行资金转账。

　　More opportunity than threat

　　机会比威胁更多

　　Perhaps the most visible lightning rod in the filing for the community has been the perception that Western Union wants the government to approve every bitcoin ATM location, as the machines are popularly viewed as a way to encourage new customers to the ecosystem.

　　也许在文件中对社会来说最明显的是西联汇款希望每一个比特币自动取款机的地点都能够被政府批准，因为机器普遍被视为一种鼓励生态系统中新客户的方式。

　　However, to Kaplan, this part of the response actually suggests Western Union wants to clarify whether its existing agent network can become “NYDFS-approved locations for virtual currency kiosks”.

　　然而，据Kaplan所说，这部分的回应实际上表明西联汇款想要说明其现有的代理商网络是否能够成为“美国纽约金融服务局虚拟货币亭的批准地点”。

　　Kaplan suggested that Western Union may be hinting at how it could leverage the size of its operations to deploy the technology, should it become more widely used, while pointing out the positives and negatives of this interpretation.

　　Kaplan认为，西联汇款可能会暗示它如何利用其业务的规模来部署技术，使它能够被更广泛的使用，同时指出这种解释的积极和消极作用。

　　“Where do you think those approved locations will be ” he asked. “Companies like Western Union with its more than 500,000 agent locations and existing infrastructure ‘approved’ as locations for bitcoin ATMs are definitely anti-competitive.”

　　“你认为那些合适的批准的地点在哪里 ”他问。“像西联汇款这种拥有超过50万代理商场所和现有的基础设施被‘批准’为比特币自动取款机放置地点的公司肯定是反竞争的。”

　　One source, who declined to be named in the report, remarked that other parts of the response suggest Western Union sees bitcoin as “more of an opportunity than a threat”.

　　不愿在报告中署名的一个消息来源指出，回应的其他部分显示西联汇款将比特币看做是“一个机会而不是威胁”。

　　“You see a number of things that suggest if the world does move in this direction of blockchain-based frameworks, what would make this unworkable for us If we found ourselves going down that path, what things would we want to nip in the bud now if we found ourselves doing that in the medium to long term ” he said.

　　他说：“你会看到有许多事情显示，如果这个世界朝着以区块链为基础的框架前进，那对我们来说什么使得这条路行不通 如果我们继续沿着这条路继续走下去，现在我们要做什么来防患于未然 ”

　　In regards to Western Union’s call for clarity on the use of kiosks, the source added, “I saw that as a defensive service.”

　　关于西联汇款对信息亭使用的呼吁，该消息人士补充说：“我把它看做是一种防御性的服务。”

　　Dissenting views

　　反对意见

　　Still, not everyone believes that the filing finds Western Union playing nice with the bitcoin industry.

　　不过，并不是所有人都认为提案中显示西联汇款与比特币行业交好。

　　Kaplan, in particular, is at odds with his colleagues in viewing the filing as a positive sign for bitcoin as a whole, saying it did “nothing to promote innovation in the bitcoin industry”.

　　特别地，在将这份文件看作为比特币积极迹象的观点上，Kaplan与他的同事有不同的意见，称它“在促进比特币行业的创新上没起作用”。

　　“It essentially tries to have the bitcoin industry conform to the business that Western Union is in, the traditional MSB business,” he said, adding that such businesses should be allowed to have a flexible regulatory environment in which to mature.

　　他说：“本质上它试图拥有符合西联汇款传统MSB业务的比特币业务。”还补充道应该允许这样的企业拥有灵活的监管环境进而走向成熟。

　　Kaplan also pointed to what he called Western Union’s bid to remain except from BitLicense registration, as a sign that it is looking for a competitive edge over new competition.

　　Kaplan还指​​出，除BitLicense注册之外西联汇款的出价还维持在原来水平，作为在新竞争中寻找竞争优势的标志。

　　Ultimately, Kaplan called on regulators to help ensure that companies like Western Union aren’t able to block the new industry from blooming, voicing his belief that federal regulation is needed to preempt many varied state laws.

　　最终Kaplan呼吁监管机构帮助确保类似于西联汇款的公司不能阻止新产业的诞生，并表示联邦监管对取代不同国家法律是有必要的。

　　“Such a federal regulatory regime will allow and foster the growth of the bitcoin industry both domestically and internationally,” Kaplan continued. “Comparatively, Western Union’s approach is the same old wine in the same old bottle.”

　　Kaplan继续说：“这样一个联邦监管制度将允许并促进国内和国际上比特币行业的增长，相对而言，西联汇款的做法却很老套。”