Ethical standards are always evolving and financial technology is in general reflecting prevailing mores. Eg. for millennia debt contracts were intimately linke

Ethical standards are always evolving and financial technology is in general reflecting prevailing mores. Eg. for millennia debt contracts were intimately linked with slavery and human life as collateral. Aside: If you haven't read Debt by Graeber please do - you'll get insights into the nature and role of money and credit that are far more fundamental and ethically oriented than the unexpected reanimation of the "digital gold" zombie. My main point (restated in the ethics context) is that there is no reason why ethical standards should be lower in finance. In a sane society that is not ripping itself apart in theft and exploitation all critical systems (and finance certainly qualifies) must benefit from a similar level of good governance. We de-facto trust each other on countless important matters and our focus and efforts should be on the cases where this trust is betrayed. A technology that is built on the premise of a trust-less society is at best a monumental waste of human talent and at worst deceitful and malevolent.