August 14,2013. The new virtual “currency” has been garnering attention for some time, as a unique and out-of-the-box idea. However, legislators have now signaled their intention to regulate the new type of currency. BitCoin is a virtual currency which is not originated or supported by any government. It is traded peer to peer without banks or middlemen. Some online retailers accept this type of currency. However, its exchange rate has proved to be volatile. Stronger regulation may improve this new concept’s viability. View the interview between NPR's Audie Cornish and Jerry Brito, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.