What value does "cryptocurrency" add to a centralized currency? I can see that we'd be better off with a standardized protocol for sending money around, but pl

What value does "cryptocurrency" add to a centralized currency? I can see that we'd be better off with a standardized protocol for sending money around, but plenty of countries have done that fine. The US is stuck in a technological backwater, yes, but I fail to see why "cryptocurrency" would decrease the number of problems.