The Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC), the government body responsible for overseeing financial systems in the South American nation, issued new guidance on its treatment of bitcoin and other digital currencies on Wednesday, 26th March.

Notably, the release was distributed one day after it was was originally expected on Tuesday, 25th March.

Despite reports that the SFC could enact harsh restrictions on bitcoin – one report suggested it would go so far as to ban bitcoin transactions altogether, the SFC issued what amounted to a boilerplate warning to consumers, and blocked financial institutions from holding, investing in or brokering bitcoin transactions.

Informal translations of the statements

, which were made public on the SFC website as Carta Circular 29, read:

The release indicated that bitcoin fails to meet the definition of a currency according to the criteria set forth by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as it is not backed by a central bank.

The SFC listed a host of concerns about bitcoin, naming the now-bankrupt Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, which imposed significant losses on users when it suddenly became insolvent earlier this year.

Further, the SFC reiterated that digital currencies can be used for illicit means, including money laundering and terrorist financing, and that users who are victims of theft are not able to achieve restitution through traditional means.

Read a translation of the warning:

Carlos Mesa, director of local digitcal currency avocacy group BitcoinColombia.org, spoke to CoinDesk about the news, noting that Colombia ended up adopting similar measures to those in China, a market where bitcoin is once again growing.

Said Mesa:

Roman Parra, of Colombia-based bitcoin buying and selling service provider Bitcoin Suramerica, also greeted the news as a positive for the local ecosystem, saying:

Notably, Mesa had earlier scheduled a meeting with the SFC to be held this upcoming Friday, however, this has since been canceled. The local activist is, however, optimistic that he will have additional opportunities to work with the SFC as it explores the issue of digital currencies further.

Image credit: Colombian flag via Shutterstock