MtGox’s chief executive, Mark Karpales, has posted a further terse statement on the homepage of the shuttered Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange, promising that he is working very hard to find a solution to the site’s issues.  “As there is a lot of speculation regarding MtGox and its future, I would like to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that I am still in Japan, and working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution to our recent issues.”  “Furthermore,” it continues, “I would like to kindly ask that people refrain from asking questions to our staff: they have been instructed not to give any response or information. Please visit this page for further announcements and updates.”  Unlike the previous statement released by the embattled exchange, the latest comment is signed by Karpales himself, rather than “MtGox Team”.  Karpales’ statement comes after Fox Business published excerpts of a conversation between Karpeles, and the industry consultant Jon Fisher. In the chat logs, Karpeles confirms that the leaked “crisis strategy draft” was “more or less” legitimate:  “As the name suggests it’s a draft, and it’s a bunch of proposals to deal with the issue at hand, not things that are actually planned and/or done.”  The document proposes Karpeles step down as CEO, but he refused to disclose whether he had decided to take that advice, adding that “giving up is not a part of how I usually do things”.  After the closure of MtGox, Japanese regulators are examining the legality of bitcoin for the first time.  But the country’s authorities are still declining to take responsibility for bailing out MtGox customers who may have lost bitcoin in the exchange’s troubles.  On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Japanese government told the Wall Street Journal’s Takashi Mochizuki that the government would make “a proper assessment” on the regulation of bitcoin. The spokesman also confirmed that the government was working with the country’s police to collect information on MtGox and was prepared to “take action”.  Wednesday’s comments are an evolution of the government’s position from earlier in the week, when a spokesman for Japan’s Financial Services Agency told the Journal: “Bitcoin isn’t a currency; it works as an alternative to currencies, like gold … The FSA is in charge of currency-based services. Therefore, bitcoin exchanges are not a subject to our regulatory oversight.”  • Mt Gox v Fort Knox: How bitcoin can recover from Gox’s collapse.
Mark Karpales, the bitcoin exchange’s chief executive, confirms legitimacy of ‘crisis strategy draft’ amid regulatory interest. By Alex Hern