央行等8部门：虚拟货币不具有与法定货币等同的法律地位 虚拟货币相关业务活动属于非法金融活动

Core Viewpoint - The People's Bank of China and several regulatory bodies issued a notice emphasizing that virtual currencies do not hold the same legal status as fiat currencies and are considered illegal financial activities [1][2]. Regulatory Framework - Virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether are characterized by their non-issuance by monetary authorities, use of encryption technology, distributed ledger technology, and existence in digital form. They lack legal tender status and should not circulate as currency in the market [1][2]. - Activities related to virtual currencies are classified as illegal financial activities. This includes the exchange of fiat currency for virtual currencies, exchanges between virtual currencies, acting as a central counterparty for virtual currency transactions, providing information intermediary and pricing services for virtual currency trading, token issuance financing, and trading of virtual currency-related financial products [1][2]. Prohibition Measures - All virtual currency-related business activities that involve illegal issuance of tokens, unauthorized public offerings of securities, illegal operation of securities and futures businesses, and illegal fundraising are strictly prohibited and will be firmly eradicated [1][2]. - Foreign entities and individuals are not allowed to provide any form of illegal virtual currency-related services to domestic entities [1][2].