On: Mt. Gox knowingly traded non-existent Bitcoins for...

[jpmattia]

Because somebody will get the idea to offer of interest on bitcoins in exchange for lending their coins. And somebody will take that bet.

It's not like cryptocurrencies can change human nature.

[chii → jpmattia]

interest bearing loan has nothing to do with the "reserve" you need.

if i borrowed 1 bitcoin from you, and then i default, then how are you going to pay back that bitcoin to whoever deposited it?

[dredmorbius → chii]

Same way you don't get back the exact serial-numbered dollars you loan (deposit) to a bank. It's not the _identity_ of the bitcoin which matters, it's the value.

If you want a lockbox, get a lockbox. If you want a deposit account, you're storing and retrieving fully fungible and interchangeable entities.

[ohashi → chii]

From the profits earned off of other borrowers. Like banks do.