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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K266: About cryptocurrency - From crypto to Covid: Why auction prices are rocketing

From Albert Einstein’s notes to a record-breaking Frida Kahlo to a 6.6-million-euro triceratops—auction houses have lately seen a string of record-breaking items going under the hammer and through the roof.

從阿爾伯特．愛因斯坦的筆記到打破紀錄的芙烈達．卡蘿，再到一個660萬歐元的三角龍－拍賣公司近來已目睹一連串打破紀錄的商品被拍賣和價格飛漲。

On Wednesday, the Einstein manuscript went for 11.3 million euros in Paris, five times its expected price.

在週三，愛因斯坦的手稿在巴黎以1130萬歐元拍出，是預期價格的5倍。

That came just days after a storyboard for the failed 1970s film version of "Dune" sparked a bidding war that pushed the price 100 times above the valuation to 2.7 million euros.

就在幾天前，1970年代的失敗電影「沙丘」的分鏡腳本引發了一場競價戰，把估價推高100倍，達到270萬歐元。

Market watcher Artprice credits a transition to online sales for sparking new levels of interest, particularly in the US and Asia.

市場觀察者「藝術價格」歸功於轉向網路銷售引發新的興趣，特別是在美國和亞洲。

"The auction houses were very behind the times. But Covid forced them to modernise and the result is that online sales have been spectacular and have attracted a new audience," said Artprice founder Thierry Ehrmann.

「拍賣公司曾經非常落後時代，但是新冠病毒疫情迫使他們現代化，結果就是線上銷售成績可觀，且吸引了新的群眾。」藝術價格創辦人蒂埃里．埃爾曼說。

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Bitcoin or not, blockchain is here to stay 比特幣要不要，區塊鏈前景光明

Current systems within the banking industry, in particular, are certainly archaic and in need of a significant revamp. Bitcoin’s success which based on the blockchain technology could not have come at a better time.

銀行產業的現行系統確實特別地落伍，必須改頭換面。而建立於「區塊鏈」科技上的「比特幣」的成功，來得正是時候。

UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti, with UBS having already entered into a partnership with IBM to use blockchain technology for global trade transactions. Ermotti has said that he believes that there is a future for blockchain technology and that it will play a big role in changing and reshaping the industry. Other banks that have also joined the partnership include Commerzbank, Bank of Montreal, CaixaBank and Erste Group according to IBM.

瑞士銀行執行長瑟吉奧．厄莫提已促成瑞士銀行與IBM合作，使用區塊鏈技術處理全球貿易業務。厄莫提此前表示，他認為區塊鏈技術頗有前景，並能在銀行業的重塑與變革上扮演重要角色。IBM表示，包括德國商業銀行、蒙特婁銀行、凱克薩銀行、奧地利第一儲蓄銀行等也已參與合作。

More banks recently joined the IBM project named Batavia and blockchain technology. The project is expected to completely transform trade finance, which to this day continues to be largely paper-based, resulting in significant lag times for receipt of goods and payment.

最近有愈來愈多銀行加入IBM的區塊鏈科技專案「Batavia」。這項專案可望徹底翻轉金融交易；金融業長久以來都是紙上作業，進而導致交易兩造的時間大幅延宕。

It’s not just the financial institutions who are moving into the blockchain world, with central banks also exploring the technology. News hit the wires at the end of last week as the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission beginning to test the technology.

不只是金融機構涉足區塊鏈世界，也有中央銀行探究這項技術。上週末發佈的最新報導指出，塞普勒斯證券交易委員會正在著手測試區塊鏈技術。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1488332 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1153381