Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Jacob (Jack) Joseph LewApple just saved billion in tax — but can the tax system be saved? Lobbying World Russian sanctions will boomerang MORE said Thursday the government needs more time to explore the effect of bitcoin, a virtual currency.



“Bitcoin is a phenomenon that we need more time to discuss. I’ve talked to [JPMorgan CEO] Jamie Dimon about it, and he and I both share some incredulity about the whole phenomenon,” Lew said on CNBC Thursday during his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.



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Bitcoins are strictly an online currency, and its owners are largely anonymous. No central bank regulates or backs them. They can be used to purchase goods and serves, and can be traded for cash.

Lew’s skepticism comes just a few months after a Treasury Department official told a Senate panel that bitcoin is a legitimate currency and should not be banned.



In the interview Thursday, Lew warned the government must ensure the currency is not used to help terrorists.



“I think from the government’s perspective, we have to make sure it does not become an avenue to funding illegal activities or funding malign purposes like terrorist activities," he said. "It is an anonymous form of transaction and it offers places for people to hide.”

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