This is Amazon playing Federal Reserve. Matt Yglesias has a great explanation of this from February: <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/02/amazon_coins_jeff_bezos_brilliant_plan_to_give_free_money_to_kindle_fire.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/02/...</a>