FILE PHOTO: A collection of Bitcoin (virtual currency) tokens are displayed in this picture illustration December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany will make joint proposals to regulate the bitcoin cryptocurrency at the next summit of the G20 group of major economies in Argentina in March, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday.

“We will have a joint Franco-German analysis of the risks linked to bitcoin, regulation proposals and these will be submitted as a joint proposal to our G20 counterparts at the G20 summit in Argentina in March,” Le Maire told reporters.

The world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency has fallen to half its record peak of almost $20,000 in recent days on fears that regulators could seek to curb speculation.

“We have a responsibility towards our citizens to explain and reduce the risks,” Le Maire’s German counterpart Peter Altmaier said at the joint news conference in Paris.