March 31 Dialogue To Focus on the Possibilities and the Pitfalls of Bitcoin and Other Virtual Currencies

ST. LOUIS - What exactly are Bitcoin and its main competitors, and how do they work? Are they the first wave of a new paradigm in payments or just a technological flash in the pan?

David Andolfatto, a vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will discuss these and other questions as part of the Bank's next "Dialogue with the Fed" evening lecture series on Monday, March 31, 2014. Chris Waller, senior vice president and director of the St. Louis Fed's Research department and Julie Stackhouse, senior vice president, Banking Supervision and Regulation, will also participate in the discussion, titled "Bitcoin and Beyond: The Possibilities and the Pitfalls of Virtual Currencies."

Only a few seats are left for this free presentation, which will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Central time in the St. Louis Fed's Gateway Conference Center Auditorium. A reception with light refreshments will be held prior to the event, beginning at 6:15 p.m. As with all Dialogues, secure complimentary parking will be available in the Bank's parking garage. Online registration is available via the Dialogue web site at www.stlouisfed.org/dialogue-with-the-fed.

For those who cannot attend on-site, the Dialogue will also be webcast live beginning at 7 p.m. at www.stlouisfed.org/live/.

The "Dialogue with the Fed: Beyond Today's Financial Headlines" series was launched in the fall of 2011 to address the key economic and financial issues of the day, and to provide the opportunity to ask questions of Fed experts. The discussions are free and open to the public.