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Underlying all of our financial transactions is debt. Even an ACH transfer is a very temporary debt in a network of trust. That's why people with "bad credit"

Underlying all of our financial transactions is debt. Even an ACH transfer is a very temporary debt in a network of trust. That's why people with "bad credit" can't get accounts at traditional banks. This hurdle does not exist in crypto. I'm not suggesting crypto is some panacea, but it does eliminate this very important problem for people on the bottom of the economic ladder.

easrng 5y ago
You can't pay for groceries with crypto. The easiest way to transfer money people can actually use without a bank account is probably texting someone a prepaid card number, though for low amounts the purchase fee is kind of a lot. Crypto is good for circumventing the legal system (ex. getting DIY HRT where it's not legal) but for most basic needs it's not very useful.
- Consultant32452 5y ago
  You can't pay for groceries with crypto yet. The government is making adoption more difficult by doing things like classifying all crypto as assets, so every transaction by a legitimate business requires they have to do a ton of tax paperwork about it. Some countries use bitcoin as official currency, so this not universally the case. I don't know if adoption will increase, nor do I have a strong opinion on whether it should. But it does solve the specific, narrow problem of lack of basic banking for the poor.
- fidelramos 5y ago
  > You can't pay for groceries with crypto. Some people can pay for groceries with crypto, for example in Slovenia there is a supermarket chain that accepts Bitcoin Cash (BCH) [0]. map.bitcoin.com [1] displays local businesses that accept crypto. Then there is acceptbitcoin.cash [2] which lists online stores and services that accept Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies. That is one of the main things I like about Bitcoin Cash: it focuses on user adoption as money and not as a store or value or speculation investment. Avoiding the exchange to fiat money is essential for P2P electronic cash like Bitcoin was meant to be. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kQ4-0a1p8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kQ4-0a1p8 [1] https://map.bitcoin.com/ https://map.bitcoin.com/ [2] https://acceptbitcoin.cash/ https://acceptbitcoin.cash/
cuteboy19 5y ago
There are very few people who do not use a bank account but still use cryptocurrency. This fantasy of banking the unbanked has remained a fantasy. In fact it is so impractical that barely anyone is working on it. Meanwhile technologies like UPI have actually transformed people's lives and actually made banking accessible to millions. Why focus on a dead end technology like crypto when we already have better options?
- Consultant32452 5y ago
  Is that system impervious to being shut down by a corrupt government like we saw Canada do recently when it locked the accounts of its own citizens? Why focus on dead end legacy currency controlled by corrupt governments when you can adopt more modern modes of transacting?

easrng 5y ago

You can't pay for groceries with crypto. The easiest way to transfer money people can actually use without a bank account is probably texting someone a prepaid card number, though for low amounts the purchase fee is kind of a lot. Crypto is good for circumventing the legal system (ex. getting DIY HRT where it's not legal) but for most basic needs it's not very useful.

Consultant32452 5y ago
You can't pay for groceries with crypto yet. The government is making adoption more difficult by doing things like classifying all crypto as assets, so every transaction by a legitimate business requires they have to do a ton of tax paperwork about it. Some countries use bitcoin as official currency, so this not universally the case. I don't know if adoption will increase, nor do I have a strong opinion on whether it should. But it does solve the specific, narrow problem of lack of basic banking for the poor.
fidelramos 5y ago
> You can't pay for groceries with crypto. Some people can pay for groceries with crypto, for example in Slovenia there is a supermarket chain that accepts Bitcoin Cash (BCH) [0]. map.bitcoin.com [1] displays local businesses that accept crypto. Then there is acceptbitcoin.cash [2] which lists online stores and services that accept Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies. That is one of the main things I like about Bitcoin Cash: it focuses on user adoption as money and not as a store or value or speculation investment. Avoiding the exchange to fiat money is essential for P2P electronic cash like Bitcoin was meant to be. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kQ4-0a1p8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kQ4-0a1p8 [1] https://map.bitcoin.com/ https://map.bitcoin.com/ [2] https://acceptbitcoin.cash/ https://acceptbitcoin.cash/

cuteboy19 5y ago

There are very few people who do not use a bank account but still use cryptocurrency. This fantasy of banking the unbanked has remained a fantasy. In fact it is so impractical that barely anyone is working on it. Meanwhile technologies like UPI have actually transformed people's lives and actually made banking accessible to millions. Why focus on a dead end technology like crypto when we already have better options?

Consultant32452 5y ago
Is that system impervious to being shut down by a corrupt government like we saw Canada do recently when it locked the accounts of its own citizens? Why focus on dead end legacy currency controlled by corrupt governments when you can adopt more modern modes of transacting?