As somebody who has been closely watching NFC for years, I find this side of the Bitcoin business interesting.<p>People moan that NFC has been "just around the corner" for the best part of a decade, and some even think that it has missed its opportunity (it hasn't, btw), because it has taken so long to bring to market. This is largely because of the in-built security, and the demands it places on participants' business models.<p>These Bitcoin exchanges and other service providers, on the other hand, seem to have been put together with great haste. They seem to have little-to-no oversight, a high risk profile, untested systems, not much institutional experience -- and there's no safety net for customers.<p>It illustrates why the "old" financial services industry is so cautious when it comes to electronic money. "Move fast and break things" may work for all sorts of businesses, but it's not a good mantra if you're handling money.