Taobao, a subsidiary of Chinese online marketplace Alibaba, has banned Bitcoin as well as Bitcoin mining software and related material, citing new government regulations, according to the South China Morning Post. The ban takes effect on Jan. 14, according to a statement on the Taobao website.

Online shops using the Taobao platform could risk losing their accounts if they are found selling Bitcoin or the software and equipment used to create the digital currency, Taobao said.

"In the interest of consumer protection, Taobao has banned the sale of Bitcoins on the platform," Alibaba spokeswoman Florence Shih told Reuters.

A second warning on Bitcoin has been issued by Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, CoinDesk reported. Bundesbank board member Carl-Ludwig Thiele warned the German financial magazine Handlesblatt about the volatility and speculative nature of Bitcoins. "We do not see that the price is being driven by fundamentals," he said. Thiele also warned about the complete lack of guarantees to investors if anything goes wrong.

In December, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann told Wirschaftswoche that Bitcoin is not an alternative to national currencies and that Bitcoins are only used as currency in certain niches, CoinDesk said.

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