Private Digital Currencies: A Failed Social Experiment?

Yun Wu and Wei Zhu
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Yun Wu: The People’s Bank of China
Wei Zhu: Aldelo LP

Chapter Chapter 6 in The Fundamentals of Digital Currency, 2024, pp 115-150 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Considering both their technological innovations and inherent limitations, can cryptocurrencies truly fulfill the roles and functions of a reliable and widely accepted medium of exchange for the public on a larger scale? If the answer is negative, does it mean that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have no value? Has the social experiment of private digital currencies failed? Cryptocurrencies have made significant technological strides since their inception, whereas their potential to become reliable and widely accepted mediums of exchange has been hindered by slow transaction speeds, high costs, and substantial price volatility. These factors limit their practical use in everyday transactions, where they are more often viewed as speculative assets than feasible mediums of exchange. Despite the inability of Bitcoin to serve as a public payment tool, as well as its current high volatility, it does not necessarily lack value in the long term. Often referred to as “digital gold,” Bitcoin shares several of its characteristics with gold, such as scarcity and decentralization, which may allow it to serve as an effective store of value, particularly in an environment of excessive fiat currency issuance. Private digital currencies may not have not succeeded as widely accepted payment tools for the public on a large scale, however, they have sparked a technological revolution through blockchain technology, significantly reshaping economic and social structures. This ongoing social experiment suggests that although virtual currencies may have failed as monetary instruments, they hold significant potential as technological innovations and stores of value.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-97-8261-1_6

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