By Bitcoin Magasin - 1 år sedan - Lästid: 4 minuter
Bitcoin Can Be The Undoing Of Inequality
While the current system is contributing to increasing inequality, Bitcoin serves to benefit everyone equally and promote fair competition.
This is an opinion editorial by Andrew Hetherington, a contributor to Bitcoin Tidskrift.
Sedan Nixon-chocken 1971, rikedomens ojämlikhet har skjutit i höjden till nivåer som inte setts på över ett sekel. Dollarn kunde inte längre lösas in mot guld utan stöddes istället endast av tro. Utan begränsningarna av en backad valuta, gavs makthavarna möjlighet att skapa så mycket fiat-valuta som de önskade, med liten eller ingen konsekvens. Förutbestämd att förlora tron på grund av missbruk, var fiat-valuta dömd från starten.
Bitcoin seeks to remedy the inequalities of fiat currency. Bitcoin is decentralized, fungible, permissionless and finite; it does not allow for central authorities to benefit from the theft of its holders’ asset value through inflation. Furthermore, it does not restrict access from those who need it most, providing financial services to those incapable of accessing traditional banking
En saga om två städer
Ojämlikheten i Amerika har stigit till oförutsedda höjder under de senaste decennierna, med bara inkomsten och nettoförmögenheten för dem i högre inkomstklasser som växer.
Enligt data från Pew Research Center, har nettoförmögenheten och inkomsterna för de högre inkomsttagarna skjutit i höjden över den vanliga arbetarens. Från 1981 till 2018 överträffade de översta fem procenten av löntagarna alla andra inkomstklasser. Dessutom, från 5 till 1983, ökade hushållens medianförmögenhet bara i den övre inkomstklassen.
När eliten fortsätter att se sina inkomster och nettoförmögenhet stiga, kämpar den genomsnittlige arbetaren för att föda sin familj på grund av en allt mer manipulerad ekonomi. Drivs av missbrukande penningpolitik, lönerna har inte ökat i köpkraft sedan 1971.
First discovered by Richard Cantillon during the 18th century, the uneven expansion of currency disproportionately benefits those closest to the source. This creates theft of buying power from those in lower income brackets, straight into the hands of the elite. Only by using their currency are they able to do this. With the superior monetary qualities of bitcoin, it will eventually replace fiat as the standard medium of exchange. As Bitcoin adoption increases, and slowly renders fiat currency less important, the printing of new fiat currency by nation-states will hamper their ability to manipulate the buying power of the working class.
Thanks to the decentralization of Bitcoin, for the first time in human history, currency expansion will no longer disproportionately benefit any government or central authority. Currency expansion will now become a business, benefiting participating corporations and individuals who are capable of securing the network in a profitable way. Most importantly, unlike fiat currency’s excess printing, bitcoin currency expansion from block rewards will benefit not only those closest to the creation of the digital currency, such as miners and exchanges, but also the holders of bitcoin itself through increasing scarcity and network security. This lack of manipulation by a central authority allows Bitcoin to reduce inequality.
Inte din typiska bankkörning
Enligt Centrum för ekonomisk inkludering, ca 1.7 miljarder människor saknar bank. Forskning visar i allt högre grad bevis på att mobila pengatjänster förbättrar de finansiella villkoren i utvecklingsländer. Enligt det här studera av Tavneet Suri och William Jack, uppskattningar tyder på att cirka 194,000 XNUMX kenyanska hushåll har lyfts ur fattigdom med utbyggnaden av en mobil pengatjänst känd som M-Pesa. Studien nämner ökad ekonomisk motståndskraft, besparingar och yrkesval – särskilt för kvinnor – som de största förbättringarna som tillhandahålls av mobila pengatjänster.
Bitcoin provides all of the opportunities of mobile money services like M-Pesa with far lower fees and greater accessibility. Those using it as a means of storing wealth can do so with no account fees and minimal transaction fees. In February 2022, Kenyans living abroad sent home över 300 miljoner US-dollar. Enligt Världsbanken är den genomsnittliga kostnaden för att skicka remitteringar till Kenya 9.54% as of 2020. If Kenyans abroad were to use Bitcoin as opposed to traditional remittance services, millions of U.S. dollars would be saved per month.
Alongside financial benefits, Bitcoin is easily accessible as it requires as little as a smartphone to get started. As reported by the World Bank, approximately 1.1 miljarder människor globally have no legal identification. Without government-recognized identification, these people are incapable of accessing the traditional finance system. Even without identification, these people are still capable of accessing the Bitcoin nätverk. Bitcoin provides modern financial services to those who need it most, without restrictions.
With all of the aforementioned benefits of Bitcoin over traditional finance, adoption has been soaring in Africa with cryptocurrency use growing over 1,200% last year enligt Chainalysis. Kenyansk grundare av Health Land Spa, Tony Mwongela, has been accepting bitcoin as payment since 2018. As companies are common victims of payment fraud, Mwongela cites the safety and security of Bitcoin as his primary reasons for deciding to accept it as payment.
Continuing to bank the unbanked, Bitcoin adoption is providing opportunity to those left behind by the traditional banking industry. With greater security, accessibility and reliability, Bitcoin is leading us to a more equitable world.
This is a guest post by Andrew Hetherington. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Tidskrift.
Ursprunglig källa: Bitcoin magazine