November 2012 (UTC) 

 :The block reward scheme, whether by coins or transaction fees, has very little to do with the characterisation of bitcoin as a ponzi scheme. The characterisation is due to its similarities to an economic bubble; like the famous Tulip mania, the value of bitcoin increases due to demand, which in turn leads to more demand as investors "buy in" hoping to make a profit. Such bubbles can not be sustained forever and inevitably collapse; from Ponzi scheme:  The question of whether bitcoin is a bubble or ponzi scheme might revolve around who exactly mined the majority of the bitcoins in the early times, if it was (as seems likely) "Satoshi Nakamoto" and friends, then it certainly *resembles* a Ponzi scheme. 
 :Anyway, that is my hypothesis, and SudoGhost is entirely correct above in stating that Wikipedia is about reliable sources and not personal conjecture. With that in mind, the articles at The Register etc. are all citable, and the forums etc. are not. 
 :"This being the case, Bitcoin can not be classified as a Ponzi" - it does not matter what you or I think. What matters is what reliable, reputable sources have said about this issue. The ECB article quoted does not say that bitcoin is or isn't a Ponzi scheme, but it does say:  
 :That is a very reliable source stating that, for many people, bitcoin has the characteristics of a Ponzi scheme. Although they do not outright state that it is a Ponzi scheme, they do state that it is high-risk and vulnerable to collapse if confidence in the system falls:  
 :  00:14, 13