Will a state backed (or sponsored) cryptocurrency be the beginning of the end of all other cryptocurrencies?
For as long as I have been involved in cryptocurrencies, that seems to be the age old question.
All these cryptocurrencies are great, but what happens when a government issues their own virtual currency and demands its citizens pay taxes in said coin?
Governments, technically, wouldn't even have to make all other coins illegal, just require taxes to be paid in their own coin and it likely would receive mass adoption.
The reason I bring this up is because Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street), went on the news today stating that he wouldn't touch cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin because he thinks ultimately a government will issue and back their own coin and at that point it will be game over for Bitcoin etc...
The release can be seen here:
https://www.coindesk.com/wolf-wall-street-jordan-belfort-jamie-dimon-right-bitcoin/
For today, I want to hear from the community, what are your thoughts on this?
From my readings, the main two arguments seem to be as follows:
- A government backed virtual coin would still have the same flaws as fiat money and would also give governments even more control over their citizens than they currently enjoy. The people would never go for this and any government issued coin wouldn't be adopted.
or....
- Governments have the ability to jail or harm anyone that doesn't do what it wants and therefore holds all the trump cards, including getting people to use their own state backed currency. For that reason, a government issued virtual currency will take over if and when it comes.
What side of the fence do you fall on?
Please state below your thoughts on why a Government backed cryptocurrency will or will not catch on.
I won't share my personal thoughts in this post as I don't want to sway any opinions out there. Rest assured, though, I will share them in a later post. :)
Stay informed my friends.
Image Sources:
https://news.bitcoin.com/big-difference-electronic-fiat-cryptocurrency/
http://stuffpoint.com/science-fiction/image/329938/nineteen-eighty-four-screenshot-screenshot/
Follow me: @jrcornel
Thank you,@jrcornel for posting such an important question.
I think that if a government issues its own coin, it will not affect btc. What attracts people to btc and other cryptocurrencies is not that they are digital. We already have digital money with PayPal and credit cards. In best case, it would be something like TUSD.
What makes btc attractive is that it is decentralized, borderless, and wild. We are sick of central banks and governments dictating what we can or can not do with our own money. We are sick of all those middlemen. We want to be in control.
My opinion here is if goverment does issue a fiat cryto and force people to use it. It would only affect citizen of that country and it would be less popular than Bitcoin. Value of a US govt backed cryto would be tied to the US dollar. So it would just be a FED back Tether (USDT). If you see USDT now. It does not grow much and used mostly as hedge when Bitcoins and the altcoins are down.
But I do see a plus if government does adopt a cryto. I think adoption of one cryto would make other crytos popular because we can easily covert 1 to another.
Agreed, great question @jrcornel. I think we will see a lot of oscillation in government policy fueled by governments not wanting to have their banking systems usurped by cryptos, yet also not wanting to lose out on potential economic growth and boom that cryptos may promise. Interesting post from @thehutchreport on how governments may react: https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@thehutchreport/cryptocurrencies-the-revolution-will-not-be-televised-it-will-be-steemed
Bravo! Well said!
It's the Wild Wild West law dogs don't go down around here
That's interesting, but what drives the value of a coin is the people using it, and the value of Bitcoin will depend on many factors that for sure do not guarantee its future value.
States can issue a coin that takes advantage of the decentralization (to some or big extend), and borderless. They can have multiple locations running the mining rigs that run and provide the descentralized secuirity across the states, and will allow them to move funds easily from one jurisdiction to another.
Thinking that Bitcoin is bulletproof is very naive. It's current technological hedge can be challenged by many technologies and players, and if something is clear from previous experiences is that technology tends to be rendered obsolete even if had great advantages at some point . (ie from Betamax, to horse transport, four engine planes, electronic valves, etc).
so how to you stabilise price when that value is being decided globally by potentially billions of people? It's actually going to be better for Bitcoin (and the others) long term if we don't all have our eggs in the one basket. A currency that can be so different one day to the next is useless for daily spending.
Hey jrcornel,
Thanks for sharing
A few thoughts...
1.) I wouldn't trust a word out of Jordan's mouth...a la Jamie
2.) I would trust Mr. Gates...
3.) It ultimately depends on unknown factors and events that will take place in the future...
Great video!
Thanks! Helps to keep things in perspective.
'Old money closes at five, new money is always open'
That is some awesome video.
Exactly
Yes, this is true. There is no way longer to see money as we used to, there should be the global changes...
I think it is difficult to track the crypto.
Great article cheers mate
I think a third option similar to option 2 in that yes the government will have the power but still its coin would not take over outwith that country because crypto transcends borders.
For this reason I think that people would pay lip service to this country's coin if they lived within it but it might actually open their eyes to the world of other coins and ultimately might be the end of said government or its coin as people moved into other crypto and used only the government's coin for the transactions that it were necessary for. They would potentially keep their real with in as better coin. If that makes sense
According to my state backed (or sponsored) cryptocurrency will never work. The main feature to cryptocurrency is that its anonymous and cant be tracked. If a government cames out with their own cryptocurrency they want to have power to create more currency with them. They always want to control the monetary policy. The rise in demand to cryptocurrency is increasing as they dont have to disadvantages like this. What government best can to is use the underline technology BLOCKCHAIN to improve government working infrastructure.
Can't be tracked? Isn't it always on the public Ledger. If one were to look?
You don't understand cryptocurrency. You can make it traceable, you can design it with the requirements you may need.
You do understand that Blockchain technology can be used by the states and companies, and doesn't need to be a cryptocurrency.
thanks 4 sharing
I’m in the camp that governments or banks or both have some sort of dog in fight eventually. They aren’t going to sit on the sidelines while these digital currencies compete with their fiat currencies. I think they eventually get in the game, it’s how and when that’s the question. I then believe they use their so called coin to exert complete control of the individual. So mass adoption of said currency would be a problem I think. But who knows. I think we’re a few years out from this happening.
agreed!
they will try everything to get in....
I think that once the crypto currency is supported by the state, its value will fall! People do not want to pay taxes for crypto currency, it will hit the prestige of all the crypto currency. If the government controls the holders of the crypto currency, it will sharply lower the rating of the cryptomir. But on the other hand, not paying attention to the crypto currency will lead to the collapse of the economy as a whole. What do I see solutions to problems? All the Crypto currency is taxed, but very low. And give society absolute freedom of action with its crypto money!
I'm very new to cryptocurrency so I don't know enough to answer your question but I have questions. Has any government ever had more than one official currency? Is it legal for them to have more than one official currency? Will it devalue the original currency so much that it will just end up replacing it? That's probably a risk they're not going to want to take.
Greshams law applies here. If they make the good money illegal then it will increase the spread and drive a premium on the market for the good money. Then the cops which are being paid the bad money will be forced to accept bribes in the good money in order to stay on the job and feed their families because the state controlled money won't be able to keep up with their needs.
Then those who write the laws get their hands on the good money. Andreas Antonopoulos explains it well in this video:
Goverments will have their own cryptos, but they will never be stronger than bitcoin!
Only when bitcoin is even more adopted will we see countries adopting blockchain for their own currencies, in 20 years maybe.
But currently we have a big problem on our way
Will we support SegWit2x or no?
There is no doubt governments will have their own cryptos, as they have so many advantages over paper money. The big advantage for the government will be the ability to know where the value travels and who is sending it. They can also determine what can be bought and where it can be bought. Currently welfare recipients on food stamp EBT cards can't buy certain items. You also can't use a cash machine for welfare cash benefits if the machine is located in a casino or strip club. Crypto could be programed to only work 'in country". if you want to take money out you will need to convert to the out of country version. Total control and zero privacy.
I was talking with a friend of mine born in China. I said assuming an assault rifle costs $1,000.00 what do you think would happen if we had an election and the new president promised to try and ban them? He said everyone would be trying to sell them and the value would go down rapidly. I said guess again, as every time the populous hears that there is a gun ban is coming, they rush to guns shops to buy as many as they can. Not just so they can have them and hide them under the floor boards "just in case civilization breaks down", but in order to sell them after the ban when the price will go through the roof. When Obama was elected there was a 6 month waiting list for AR-15's .
So when the governments do go crypto we will have exactly the scenario Jamie Dimon suggested, where cryptos are only used for outlaw purposes. Where he will be wrong is they will be worth a fortune. Monero at 100K anyone? A state run crypto that has total control will actually make good citizens go "bad" as citizens believe their money is their own and they have the right to do with it as they please.
If you outlaw cryptos, only outlaws will have them. Even if the owners were not outlaws to begin with. Prohibiting things people don't believe are wrong does not work. They just make criminal organizations stronger. Like alcohol prohibition and drug laws. Just one more reason to not respect the law.
Precisely stated. I have a safe full and if this ever happens to crypto the price will go through the roof.
Can you elaborate, what happens with the price of the gun. Does it go up or down immediately after the ban?
There never was a ban. But the right wing in this country assumed that when the democrats got the power they would institute and assault weapons ban. After it was announced that it was on a wish list for the left, gun sales of all kinds went through the roof, but especially ones that seemed likely to be "banned". Now there is a history with new gun laws to "grandfather in" current owners and that played a part. But many purchasers bought knowing that being grandfathered in to "own" does not extend the right to "sell'. People were buying 5 at a time!
What is significant is that most pro gun folks are also law and order folks. Yet, they would be more than willing to break the law (in the future) if the law deprived them of something they felt was their Constitutional Right.
Bans don't work, if the populous believe the laws to be inherently unjust. To directly answer your question, with no ban, just the prospect of one, gun shops were asking a 50% premium so $1,500.00. If you did not want to wait 6 months manufacturing time private sellers were asking double or more.
Yep
Awesome post :)
My thoughts on the situation are as follows.
I think you are correct in the fact that the master plan of all governments are to introduce a state backed coin.
Ever since credit and debit cards have been around, the transfer from cash to technology backed systems of money have been getting larger and larger.
-The introduction of contact less card payments.
-Apple pay etc
The rise of google and the fact everything you do nowadays is being monitored and traced.
I believe the next step is a state backed crypto coin.
This would be a disaster if adopted by the people. Unfortunately i feel that most people would accommodate the idea of a state backed coin.
Most people are sheep and do whatever the government want them to do.
The end goal for the governments is to introduce a cash less society.
A society where nothing you do in life goes unnoticed by the people at the top.
A society where you can get away with nothing, where you are to scared to doi anything out of the ordinary.
i think cryptos is loved worldwide because there is no third party involved in it, if govt. trying to make virtual coin and ask peoples to adopt it, i think it would be totally rejected as that virtual coin would be centralized and secondly peoples have to pay certain amount of money in shape of tax by holding it, so in my opinion if any govt. do this would be totally rejected and peoples continue to support decentralized cryptos.
My government is thing of getting there own cryptocurrency. It will depend on what kind to cryptocurrency they build. Is it centralized (controlled by government). Can it be mined indefatigable or not. etc.
I tend to think any government backed crypto will send it back to Fiat thoughts on a different platform. Each government has it's own currency and need each other to trade meaning there must be a neutral Cryptocurrency processor supporting multi-coins (think of TenX). Take it like Bitcoin is owned by the UK government while the official currency in the US is Dash.... My thoughts though.
It really all depends on what the people allow. I thought crypto was a revolution step, but if the people are going to keep allowing elite strangers to interfere with what the people want, then I don't know how the people can really expect to move away from a slave system. The only solution seems to be total removal of govt/banks/establishments and their ideologies. FTS, Power to the People
It could work. Why wouldn't the two coexist? The dollar is pretty much a digital currency at this point isn't it? When was the last time you actually handed someone a dollar bill to pay for something?
what this guy say is bullshit , and bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will keep rising and nothing will stop it
why would a government make a coin ? what is the use of this coin ? the point of cryptocurrencies is decentralization .
they want to use blockchain technology to make something totally agnest blockchain principles , they are a joke .
good post! thank you for sharing! sukes always! take a moment to look at my post! if you can thanks! https://steemit.com/drawingchallenge/@cryptoaceh/drawingchallenge-drawing-amazing
Watch what China did! ... and soon they will have their OWN coin. This will happen in India as well.
And what about countries which have inflation sky high.... Yes indeed; will also have crypto!
I have absolutely no background knowledge on this, but my impression is Bitcoin has already gained sufficient adoption and leverage to withstand any sort of competition. The question is would more people adopt a cryptocurrency if it was Government backed because they felt it gave them more security for their investment - which potentially could benefit all cryptocurrency by increasing the adoption and exchange and pushing increased mainstream usage.
My thinking, if crypto has become part of the government, will be chaotic. because at that time there will be rules that are not desired by the crypto lovers. Now we can see the government regulation is very much, even sometimes many people who violate it. so is the crypto world. this is just my opinion!
Option 2.
Cryptocurrency are just at the beginning, but I don't think governments can just let this go a growing reality without being able to control it. Think about Tax evasion or anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing that could be made with cryptocurrency...
Damn, both sides of the argument have merit. The government forcing their coin on us and prosecuting those who do not abide would be ugly for sure though.
Maybe crypto is what will lead to the next American Revolution. History always repeats and it's been some time since the last one.
I think when governments make their own coins, the big player, who did not get in on crypto jet, would get in on them because they are "safe".
But the early adopters like we are will never adopt those coins!
Hopefully, I'm wrong on this and the big players will adopt in "real" crypto like Bitcoin!
I don't think that many governments will issue their own coins, but certainly, there will be some.
require taxes to be paid in their own coin
I hate to be the bearer of bad news; but, of course, it’s inevitable…
Legislation will eventually require the taxes on said monies be paid accordingly.
‘Sanctions’ will be placed on BTC and the likes; and, they will more than likely yield if strong-armed hard enough. An indirect example is watching Facebook owner MZ swiftly turn over data for investigation.
Of course, I would love to be wrong; but, it could mark the end of crypto.
Big players will power down so quickly and secure their funds elsewhere, it will be like the crash of ’29.
Peace.
It is true that bitcoin has brought a big change in the world economy,
All people of the world are now looking at Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency,
Bitcoin Along with a Superfast Technology, it has changed the life of many people.
The reason is that the bitcoin,s demand and its value are increasing day by day.
But there are still many people who have raised question about bitcoin, They believe that illegal business will increase due to bitcoin.This is the reason why countries are not legally liable to Bitcoi.
We congratulate all the Indians in support of the Becoin of the Government here, And more importantly, the Reserve Bank of India has decided that it will launch its own cryptocurrency
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Devlet destekli olmasi olması kötü !!serbest olmasi daha mantıklı
Very nice @jrcornel ...bless
Interesting thoughts... I do not see governments adopting one particular cryptocurrency right now... maybe that will change in a few years, but I think the risk is minimal right now.
wow @ jrcornel Your post is very effective and powerful, Thanks for sharing
I'm not sure anyone can call it for sure - but if one is released by a leading nation, then I think, yes, it could spell the end of non-functional cryptos (such as Bitcoin but not Ethereum). Functional cryptos will still take a hit for sure, though.
Fiat by its very nature depreciates. The average lifetime of a fiat currency is just 32 years ! So who would want to invest in digital fiat?
Bitcoin, meanwhile, appreciates over time.
Now of course, much can happen in the exponentially growing cryptospace over the next 5 years:
Bitcoin/blockchain could become a store of value replacing gold which would add several trillion dollars to its market cap.
Bitcoin/blockchain could start to replace fiat currencies especially given the record levels of global debt at present. Quantitative easing continues at a record pace. 5000 years of human history shows massive debt has never been repaid. It's a race to zero between the dollar, the euro, and the yuan.
The growth of bitcoin benefits exponentially by following Moore's law.
Bitcoin is deflationary. Already, countries that are used to hyperinflation such as Argentina and Venezuela have been stockpiling bitcoin. The average fiat currency has a life expectancy of less than 50 years. Hoarding bitcoin would only accelerate its price.
(͡:B ͜ʖ ͡:B)
About Dr. Chris Kacher
Dr. Chris Kacher has appeared on major television, radio, and print programs and is the bestselling author of "How We Made 18,000% in the Stock Market". He founded Creative Trading Ltd, a company aimed at helping others invest in cryptocurrencies. He is currently launching a pro bono cryptocurrency fund and has been an investor in various cryptocurrencies starting in 2013 including STEEMIT when it was founded in 2016. He is the co-founder of http://www.virtueofselfishinvesting.com and has co-authored several books in investments as well as over 100 scientific journal articles in the nuclear sciences. He helped to discover element 110 on the Periodic Table of Elements as well as confirm the discovery of element 106 which his team named Seaborgium after his UC Berkeley Ph.D. thesis advisor Professor Glenn Seaborg. His music has also charted on the iTunes music charts twice.
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I think I'll call something like this a ponzi
I think it's a matter of time that many governments will issue their own coins. They can easily launch a cryptocurrency for special projects ... such as infrastructure renewal, technology adoption, lotteries, etc. ... but it will not (in most cases) replace existing fiat currencies. The only reasons to replace existing currencies (that I can think of) are to eliminate debt (i.e., default) or the people don't believe in the new currency.
If it's to eliminate debt, it will be seen by the world as exactly that, and the results will be the same as a collapse of the country's currency and credit.
If people don't believe in the country's fiat currency, they won't believe in the country's fiat currency either. Both will be demonstrated to be backed by unreliable authorities.
If a government puts some thought into it, however, they can launch one or more cryptocurrencies for specific purposes and then use the potential profits (e.g., toll revenues for new roads or bridges) to help make good on the current fiat currency.
Do you think Governments are smart enough and cohesive enough to do it right?
Thanks for sharing this excellent post.
I just posted about an idea on how to on board countries. I think they will continue to structure their finances as they have but can at least be backed by a fair international reserve asset: https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@tbit/a-revolutionary-idea-ico-for-each-country
I think that the government will already have a plan in place to release their own coin, however the people that currently use cryptocurrencies are all of a similar mindset in my opinion, that the government and banks are NOT to be trusted with our money, so adoption of their coin over current coins will not go as smoothly as they hope. Just my opinion though :D
I think it kind of defeats the purpose of why crypto is around in the first place. The governments will try step in at some stage though case in point China
its not the right time to think how it COULD be.This technology was just the first so it caught all the hype.the same thing with others. the technology can be 1 thousand times more perfect, secure and valuable, but nobody knows about that anymore without news, people's believe and proofs of "sharks" from business.Psychology rules btc&price up,not the opposite.
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