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Topic: [ANN][NOTE]DNotes - Celebrating DNotes 3rd Birthday - Forum Now Open - page 222. (Read 814542 times)

legendary
Activity: 1932
Merit: 1111
DNotes
" . . . why would banks even consider looking into the blockchain technology?"

Existential threat.

"Why would they spend time on this?"

Figure out how to stymie or (profitably) integrate it.

"It would seem to me they would not want this to pan out . . . "

Nope, they don't want it to; and the better they know their enemy, the better their chances of it not panning out.

IMZ Mark

Personally I don't see why banks wouldn't eventually try to integrate digital currency, once they understand how to properly secure it. Utilizing it for back end transactions and also offering digital currency services for consumers. Many of us who are interested in digital currency believe in 'being your own bank', however I'm sure there is a large population of people who would like to have it integrated into existing system. If enough people demand using digital currency, the banks will have to evolve, or suffer from losses.
IMZ
legendary
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1000
"Both Slade and an ANZ spokesperson were more guarded on the possibility of trialling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in future . . . "

Tee Gee, I have no idea what these banks intend; but for the record, from considerable personal research, these spokespeople are brazen liars.

IMZ Mark

IMZ
legendary
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1000
" . . . why would banks even consider looking into the blockchain technology?"

Existential threat.

"Why would they spend time on this?"

Figure out how to stymie or (profitably) integrate it.

"It would seem to me they would not want this to pan out . . . "

Nope, they don't want it to; and the better they know their enemy, the better their chances of it not panning out.

IMZ Mark
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
The following was published by Blackhawk Engagement Solutions - "A Leading Global Provider of Customized Incentive and Engagement Solutions."  It is a great source of information on employee incentive benefits.  Some of the interesting facts within it include:

- More than half of America's companies use incentive programs.
- U.S. organizations spend over $100 billion annually on them.
- Incentives (other than cash) are a $46 billion industry. The industry has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

Organizations with higher than average employee engagement have:
- 27% Higher Profits
- 50% Higher Sales
- 50% Higher Customer Loyalty
- 38% Above Average Productivity
- 155% Higher Stock Returns


Exploring Employee Incentives - http://www.bhengagement.com/employee-rewards-recognition/


Nice find. Here is a little tidbit we can use for our employee incentive benefits program:

What makes incentives do well?
To be successful they must:
Promote or encourage specific actions
By a specific audience
To produce measurable outcomes
Through integrated motivational strategies
During a defined time period.

I did a good amount of research on Employee Incentive Benefits. It is huge. When we start targeting small business owners (start-up to $50 million in revenue) it will be launched as a twin pack with CRISP for Retirement. Targeted PR campaign will be starting in a few months. We expect this program to be very well received.
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
The complete answer is lengthy and could even be a little sensitive. The brief answer is that even the bankers are finally accepting that the Blockchain technologies are so immensely innovative and disruptive that they can no longer ignore it. They don't seem to be too concerned about Bitcoin as a serious threat to their credit/debit card payment systems because of Bitcoin's volatility.  

So then what would happen if a block chain based currency which wasn't so volatile came along? Would that one be a threat?

Frankly, if we make that argument too early the bank will laugh at us. I am quite convinced that outside of DNotes not too many people believe that volatility in digital currency can be avoided. To a large extent. they are correct. That is the most complex part of DNotes business plan and how it is executed. It is near impossible for a competitor to replicate DNotes business model. Everything is linked and must work well as a whole system. It is grounded on trust and integrity and unquestionable commitment of the leadership to create long term fundamental value for its stakeholders. It will be a while before the banks consider DNotes a threat. Next year could be interesting. We will see.
legendary
Activity: 1932
Merit: 1111
DNotes
The following was published by Blackhawk Engagement Solutions - "A Leading Global Provider of Customized Incentive and Engagement Solutions."  It is a great source of information on employee incentive benefits.  Some of the interesting facts within it include:

- More than half of America's companies use incentive programs.
- U.S. organizations spend over $100 billion annually on them.
- Incentives (other than cash) are a $46 billion industry. The industry has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

Organizations with higher than average employee engagement have:
- 27% Higher Profits
- 50% Higher Sales
- 50% Higher Customer Loyalty
- 38% Above Average Productivity
- 155% Higher Stock Returns


Exploring Employee Incentives - http://www.bhengagement.com/employee-rewards-recognition/


Nice find. Here is a little tidbit we can use for our employee incentive benefits program:

What makes incentives do well?
To be successful they must:
Promote or encourage specific actions
By a specific audience
To produce measurable outcomes
Through integrated motivational strategies
During a defined time period.
legendary
Activity: 1638
Merit: 1005
The following was published by Blackhawk Engagement Solutions - "A Leading Global Provider of Customized Incentive and Engagement Solutions."  It is a great source of information on employee incentive benefits.  Some of the interesting facts within it include:

- More than half of America's companies use incentive programs.
- U.S. organizations spend over $100 billion annually on them.
- Incentives (other than cash) are a $46 billion industry. The industry has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

Organizations with higher than average employee engagement have:
- 27% Higher Profits
- 50% Higher Sales
- 50% Higher Customer Loyalty
- 38% Above Average Productivity
- 155% Higher Stock Returns


Exploring Employee Incentives - http://www.bhengagement.com/employee-rewards-recognition/
legendary
Activity: 1806
Merit: 1029
The complete answer is lengthy and could even be a little sensitive. The brief answer is that even the bankers are finally accepting that the Blockchain technologies are so immensely innovative and disruptive that they can no longer ignore it. They don't seem to be too concerned about Bitcoin as a serious threat to their credit/debit card payment systems because of Bitcoin's volatility.  

So then what would happen if a block chain based currency which wasn't so volatile came along? Would that one be a threat?
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
This is interesting, both of these banks are active in New Zealand, and one of my friends is quite senior at ANZ. It appears to be the case that banks are taking the first baby steps to adopting blockchain technology, but without fully embracing an actual currency.

Australian Banks Westpac and ANZ Experiment With Ripple

Two of Australia's 'big four' banks, Westpac Banking Corporation and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, are experimenting with peer-to-peer transfers on the Ripple protocol.

The news, revealed by The Australian Financial Review, follows last month's announcement that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) – another 'big four' rival – is trialling the tech for transfers between its subsidiaries. At the time, CBA's chief information officer David Whiteing described distributed protocols as "the way of the future".

While ANZ is still in early discussions with the company, Westpac, the larger of the two by market cap, told TAFR it has begun a proof-of-concept with Ripple Labs, whereby its employees are sending funds to two countries overseas.

Rachel Slade, Westpac's general manager of global transactional services, said:

"The solution we've developed is faster than other alternatives in the market today, providing same or next-day payment. This technology could be very beneficial to all Australians, providing a low-cost and fast method of sending low-value payments overseas."

Both Slade and an ANZ spokesperson were more guarded on the possibility of trialling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in future, citing regulatory uncertainty. "The banking of cryptocurrency is technically feasible, though we don't have that capability today," the ANZ spokesperson said.

Reading this raises one very large question, why would banks even consider looking into the blockchain technology?  Why would they spend time on this?  It would seem to me they would not want this to pan out as a reliable way to transfer money being they will not make money off of it like they do now. Any thoughts as to why they would be looking into this and spending time on this?

The complete answer is lengthy and could even be a little sensitive. The brief answer is that even the bankers are finally accepting that the Blockchain technologies are so immensely innovative and disruptive that they can no longer ignore it. They don't seem to be too concerned about Bitcoin as a serious threat to their credit/debit card payment systems because of Bitcoin's volatility.  
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
I just wanted to give a shout out to what a great job you all are doing on the community dynamics aspect. I've seen how the various DNotes founders and established team members have patiently answered questions posed by people new to the thread (or even people who have been out of the loop for a while), even when those same questions have been answered more than once in the past. Answers to those questions always come with a warm welcome. It's like you're just happy to have people on board in whatever way they are comfortable with, whether it be inquiring, participating, or even challenging. This graciousness really sets DNotes apart. Great job, DNotes team! And thank you. I really enjoy hanging out here. It's also been a joy to contribute where I've been able.

Thanks for your kind words, wiser. We sincerely believe that DNotes can indeed be positioned as the digital currency of the future for everyone. The large majority of the world's population struggle financially everyday with no end in sight. DNotes can offer a ray of hope to those who discovered us early. It is always our preference to be respectful of everyone, including those who may not always with our view point.
legendary
Activity: 1932
Merit: 1111
DNotes
I just wanted to give a shout out to what a great job you all are doing on the community dynamics aspect. I've seen how the various DNotes founders and established team members have patiently answered questions posed by people new to the thread (or even people who have been out of the loop for a while), even when those same questions have been answered more than once in the past. Answers to those questions always come with a warm welcome. It's like you're just happy to have people on board in whatever way they are comfortable with, whether it be inquiring, participating, or even challenging. This graciousness really sets DNotes apart. Great job, DNotes team! And thank you. I really enjoy hanging out here. It's also been a joy to contribute where I've been able.

Thank you Wiser! There is a lot of information about DNotes in this thread and don't expect everyone will be able to read through all of it. Questions are always welcome, and we appreciate everyone who takes the time post here.
legendary
Activity: 1806
Merit: 1029
I just wanted to give a shout out to what a great job you all are doing on the community dynamics aspect. I've seen how the various DNotes founders and established team members have patiently answered questions posed by people new to the thread (or even people who have been out of the loop for a while), even when those same questions have been answered more than once in the past. Answers to those questions always come with a warm welcome. It's like you're just happy to have people on board in whatever way they are comfortable with, whether it be inquiring, participating, or even challenging. This graciousness really sets DNotes apart. Great job, DNotes team! And thank you. I really enjoy hanging out here. It's also been a joy to contribute where I've been able.
member
Activity: 82
Merit: 10
This is interesting, both of these banks are active in New Zealand, and one of my friends is quite senior at ANZ. It appears to be the case that banks are taking the first baby steps to adopting blockchain technology, but without fully embracing an actual currency.

Australian Banks Westpac and ANZ Experiment With Ripple

Two of Australia's 'big four' banks, Westpac Banking Corporation and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, are experimenting with peer-to-peer transfers on the Ripple protocol.

The news, revealed by The Australian Financial Review, follows last month's announcement that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) – another 'big four' rival – is trialling the tech for transfers between its subsidiaries. At the time, CBA's chief information officer David Whiteing described distributed protocols as "the way of the future".

While ANZ is still in early discussions with the company, Westpac, the larger of the two by market cap, told TAFR it has begun a proof-of-concept with Ripple Labs, whereby its employees are sending funds to two countries overseas.

Rachel Slade, Westpac's general manager of global transactional services, said:

"The solution we've developed is faster than other alternatives in the market today, providing same or next-day payment. This technology could be very beneficial to all Australians, providing a low-cost and fast method of sending low-value payments overseas."

Both Slade and an ANZ spokesperson were more guarded on the possibility of trialling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in future, citing regulatory uncertainty. "The banking of cryptocurrency is technically feasible, though we don't have that capability today," the ANZ spokesperson said.

Reading this raises one very large question, why would banks even consider looking into the blockchain technology?  Why would they spend time on this?  It would seem to me they would not want this to pan out as a reliable way to transfer money being they will not make money off of it like they do now. Any thoughts as to why they would be looking into this and spending time on this?
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
This is interesting, both of these banks are active in New Zealand, and one of my friends is quite senior at ANZ. It appears to be the case that banks are taking the first baby steps to adopting blockchain technology, but without fully embracing an actual currency.

Australian Banks Westpac and ANZ Experiment With Ripple

Two of Australia's 'big four' banks, Westpac Banking Corporation and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, are experimenting with peer-to-peer transfers on the Ripple protocol.

The news, revealed by The Australian Financial Review, follows last month's announcement that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) – another 'big four' rival – is trialling the tech for transfers between its subsidiaries. At the time, CBA's chief information officer David Whiteing described distributed protocols as "the way of the future".

While ANZ is still in early discussions with the company, Westpac, the larger of the two by market cap, told TAFR it has begun a proof-of-concept with Ripple Labs, whereby its employees are sending funds to two countries overseas.

Rachel Slade, Westpac's general manager of global transactional services, said:

"The solution we've developed is faster than other alternatives in the market today, providing same or next-day payment. This technology could be very beneficial to all Australians, providing a low-cost and fast method of sending low-value payments overseas."

Both Slade and an ANZ spokesperson were more guarded on the possibility of trialling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in future, citing regulatory uncertainty. "The banking of cryptocurrency is technically feasible, though we don't have that capability today," the ANZ spokesperson said.

Interesting and good insight. Ripple has been working with quite a few banks worldwide. Stella is based on the same concept. They both use their own token or native currency. It's a viable solution and they will have certain market shares. We believe that there should be a global digital currency for everyone worldwide. It may even take a generation or more for mass acceptance. That is our very long term vision and it is reflected in how we map out our strategic plans and position DNotes accordingly. This is our master plan to position both DNotes and its ecosystem to enjoy a health growth rate for generations. We believe that we are already at the point where thought leaders must begin to address global problems with global solutions. DNotes is a global currency and payment processing solution, among others. We are still taking our time to build a solid foundation. 2016 will be the year when we start expanding globally.
hero member
Activity: 846
Merit: 535
This is interesting, both of these banks are active in New Zealand, and one of my friends is quite senior at ANZ. It appears to be the case that banks are taking the first baby steps to adopting blockchain technology, but without fully embracing an actual currency.

Australian Banks Westpac and ANZ Experiment With Ripple

Two of Australia's 'big four' banks, Westpac Banking Corporation and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, are experimenting with peer-to-peer transfers on the Ripple protocol.

The news, revealed by The Australian Financial Review, follows last month's announcement that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) – another 'big four' rival – is trialling the tech for transfers between its subsidiaries. At the time, CBA's chief information officer David Whiteing described distributed protocols as "the way of the future".

While ANZ is still in early discussions with the company, Westpac, the larger of the two by market cap, told TAFR it has begun a proof-of-concept with Ripple Labs, whereby its employees are sending funds to two countries overseas.

Rachel Slade, Westpac's general manager of global transactional services, said:

"The solution we've developed is faster than other alternatives in the market today, providing same or next-day payment. This technology could be very beneficial to all Australians, providing a low-cost and fast method of sending low-value payments overseas."

Both Slade and an ANZ spokesperson were more guarded on the possibility of trialling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in future, citing regulatory uncertainty. "The banking of cryptocurrency is technically feasible, though we don't have that capability today," the ANZ spokesperson said.
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
"Obviously, MasterCard has been trying to exploit this tendency, taking advantage of the uninformed and misinformed public at large, including political leaders and regulators world wide."

It certainly seems that way.

There is too much to cover in that article that is inaccurate or misleading.

"speed and safety of digital currencies [do] not hold up, not least given that on average it takes 10 minutes for a block to be verified" - So in an hour on average the transaction is completely verified, instead of 24-48 'business' hours like my mastercard? Either way you get instant notification, but verification of transaction, bitcoin wins by a long shot.

"digital currencies are far more susceptible to hacking attacks" - I wonder how one could substantiate that claim? Several times in my life my account (mastercard) had someone withdrawing money from across seas. This also means they hacked have my personal information as well. Yet my bitcoins are still safe and sound since I started.

"To achieve economies of scale, the higher marginal costs of digital currencies will lead to a reduction in the number of miners down to a monopoly miner, defeating the original design of digital currencies and opening them up to system-wide fraud." - It is a competitive industry just like any other. I don't know what possible evidence you could have to substantiate this. Hundreds of thousands of miners are just going to give up?

"The "current blockchain process" doesn’t provide sufficient transparency" - From where I am sitting it is a lot more transparent than the credit card networks. If you ever plan to purchase anything with your bitcoin, it is basically 100% transparent.

"Finally, MasterCard believes the government should develop consumer protections which would force digital currency companies to create a formal consumer complaint process and enable the reversal of unauthorised charges." - Government consumer protections are fine, providing they are logical and don't inhibit progress. I like the use of the word reversal, like they can reverse CC transactions... lol. All they do is add a new transaction for the exact same amount back to the sender.

And all the time the credit card companies are still smiling because they have earned their fees along the way.  Someone returns something guess what... the credit card company does not return your fees, shoot even paypal charges you to reverse a transaction, ok well they don't "CHARGE" you they just simply do not return all the fees to you.  So not only did they "charge" me for the initial transaction they also "charge" for the return by not giving all your money back.  I would say that is a little bit of double dipping there!! Just like Ebay, you charge for shipping and they charge you a fee on that now where it used to be only the item amount that you only were charged for.  Gee thanks, I do not gouge for shipping but for some reason they believe now that I need to pay them for covering my shipping cost.  Oh now you have gotten me started.... LOL

I had the opportunity of working with a fair number of small business owners from start-up to $20 million in revenue for a number of years, both in the US and Canada. Depending on which companies, credit card expenses + (charge-back + credit card interest payment) was always one of the top 5 problems that needed to be brought under control. Majority of small business owners work very hard for very little pay. With a more favorable regulatory environment and a little more time to get established DNotes is committed to make a difference.
member
Activity: 82
Merit: 10
"Obviously, MasterCard has been trying to exploit this tendency, taking advantage of the uninformed and misinformed public at large, including political leaders and regulators world wide."

It certainly seems that way.

There is too much to cover in that article that is inaccurate or misleading.

"speed and safety of digital currencies [do] not hold up, not least given that on average it takes 10 minutes for a block to be verified" - So in an hour on average the transaction is completely verified, instead of 24-48 'business' hours like my mastercard? Either way you get instant notification, but verification of transaction, bitcoin wins by a long shot.

"digital currencies are far more susceptible to hacking attacks" - I wonder how one could substantiate that claim? Several times in my life my account (mastercard) had someone withdrawing money from across seas. This also means they hacked have my personal information as well. Yet my bitcoins are still safe and sound since I started.

"To achieve economies of scale, the higher marginal costs of digital currencies will lead to a reduction in the number of miners down to a monopoly miner, defeating the original design of digital currencies and opening them up to system-wide fraud." - It is a competitive industry just like any other. I don't know what possible evidence you could have to substantiate this. Hundreds of thousands of miners are just going to give up?

"The "current blockchain process" doesn’t provide sufficient transparency" - From where I am sitting it is a lot more transparent than the credit card networks. If you ever plan to purchase anything with your bitcoin, it is basically 100% transparent.

"Finally, MasterCard believes the government should develop consumer protections which would force digital currency companies to create a formal consumer complaint process and enable the reversal of unauthorised charges." - Government consumer protections are fine, providing they are logical and don't inhibit progress. I like the use of the word reversal, like they can reverse CC transactions... lol. All they do is add a new transaction for the exact same amount back to the sender.

And all the time the credit card companies are still smiling because they have earned their fees along the way.  Someone returns something guess what... the credit card company does not return your fees, shoot even paypal charges you to reverse a transaction, ok well they don't "CHARGE" you they just simply do not return all the fees to you.  So not only did they "charge" me for the initial transaction they also "charge" for the return by not giving all your money back.  I would say that is a little bit of double dipping there!! Just like Ebay, you charge for shipping and they charge you a fee on that now where it used to be only the item amount that you only were charged for.  Gee thanks, I do not gouge for shipping but for some reason they believe now that I need to pay them for covering my shipping cost.  Oh now you have gotten me started.... LOL
member
Activity: 82
Merit: 10
The following article is worth reading and here are my comments:

I am a supporter of Bitcoin and a strong believer that what is good for Bitcoin is good for our industry. Unfortunately, being the pioneer, Bitcoin has certain challenges it may never be able to overcome. Mass acceptance of Bitcoin as a currency is extremely remote but the innovative Blockchain technology will lead to massive new business formation and the new engine of huge job growth and wealth creation.

Without strong leadership and an entity or individual with sufficient self-interest to promote and protect Bitcoin as a currency, it will remain as a speculative trading vehicle and not likely to gain much traction as a medium of exchange to exploit the low transaction cost. The growing excitement today is not on Bitcoin as the currency to replace or supplement fiat currency but the power and potential of the Blockchain technology.

*************************************

Bitcoin: In Search Of Purpose

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbloomberg/2015/06/05/bitcoin-in-search-of-purpose/
Jason Bloomberg  Contributor

The article itself...

One line from that article that really resonated with me was the part where they talked about how merchants are happy to accept Bitcoin because it cuts down on their costs but that customers are not too excited about paying in Bitcoin. Here's the direct quote that expresses a huge reason why I don't pay for much with Bitcoin:

Furthermore, the commission for purchasing Bitcoin (or the spread, in the context of speculation) ranges from five to ten percent – even more than what merchants pay for their credit card support. Why would consumers ever agree to take on this expense if merchants are only too happy to bear such transaction costs today?

Paying for something in Bitcoin makes sense if you happen to have Bitcoin sitting around. But it doesn't make sense to trade fiat for Bitcoin just to pay for something with Bitcoin that you could just as easily pay for with fiat--and he's absolutely right about the credit card costs not being the customer's problem, at least not in a way the customer can easily see. The only reason someone might trade fiat into Bitcoin to pay for something with Bitcoin is if that "something" cannot be bought with fiat. When you think about "somethings" that can't be bought with fiat, the first thing that comes to mind are illegal "somethings." Perhaps that is why such a disproportionate amount of Bitcoin commerce is of the illegal variety. But that would change if it actually saved the customers money to pay with Bitcoin (without it being a complicated process). Since DNotes is a much more stable currency than Bitcoin, it's more realistic to expect that at some point down the road customers may even prefer to pay in DNotes.

As a merchant accepting credit cards I get really tired of paying the credit card companies anywhere from $800 up to $3500 a month!!  When I see that automatically deducted from my account each month it simply drives me more to educate others about digital currency. And yes merchants get it because they see those fees having to be paid for each month and I am one of those thousands and thousands of small businesses out there that pay these credit card institutions each and every month.  They are raking in millions at the expense of small business.

Millions of small business owners struggle to meet payroll, which comes before making any contribution to their retirement accounts. There is another real cost burden. Most small business owners pay a very high price in credit card interest of 27% to 29%. It may sound shocking but many small business owners max out every credit card they have available with six figures or higher unpaid balance.

Which in turn means the credit card companies are laughing at small business all the way to the bank month after month after month. Just imagine if small businesses had the ablility to put that money back in their businesses or to afford whatever they needed to grow their businesses including hiring and raises what a difference that would make.  As a society we have been force-fed the "buy on credit" garbage, and believe me I have been at the trough a bunch myself. Financial institutions are the ones fueling this fire and we as a society need to put a whole ton of water on it. Digital currency is the tool we need to stamp out this injustice that we all have been fed.  Media has helped fuel the credit card industry, just look at all the commercials you see for credit cards, digital currency at some point has to get on the bandwagon as well and get itself promoted.  Daughter was in Indianapolis over the weekend and low and behold there was a sign in front of a shopping mall that read "Bitcoin Accepted Here".  She went as far as to take a picture and send it to me.
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1060
The following article is worth reading and here are my comments:

I am a supporter of Bitcoin and a strong believer that what is good for Bitcoin is good for our industry. Unfortunately, being the pioneer, Bitcoin has certain challenges it may never be able to overcome. Mass acceptance of Bitcoin as a currency is extremely remote but the innovative Blockchain technology will lead to massive new business formation and the new engine of huge job growth and wealth creation.

Without strong leadership and an entity or individual with sufficient self-interest to promote and protect Bitcoin as a currency, it will remain as a speculative trading vehicle and not likely to gain much traction as a medium of exchange to exploit the low transaction cost. The growing excitement today is not on Bitcoin as the currency to replace or supplement fiat currency but the power and potential of the Blockchain technology.

*************************************

Bitcoin: In Search Of Purpose

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbloomberg/2015/06/05/bitcoin-in-search-of-purpose/
Jason Bloomberg  Contributor

The article itself...

One line from that article that really resonated with me was the part where they talked about how merchants are happy to accept Bitcoin because it cuts down on their costs but that customers are not too excited about paying in Bitcoin. Here's the direct quote that expresses a huge reason why I don't pay for much with Bitcoin:

Furthermore, the commission for purchasing Bitcoin (or the spread, in the context of speculation) ranges from five to ten percent – even more than what merchants pay for their credit card support. Why would consumers ever agree to take on this expense if merchants are only too happy to bear such transaction costs today?

Paying for something in Bitcoin makes sense if you happen to have Bitcoin sitting around. But it doesn't make sense to trade fiat for Bitcoin just to pay for something with Bitcoin that you could just as easily pay for with fiat--and he's absolutely right about the credit card costs not being the customer's problem, at least not in a way the customer can easily see. The only reason someone might trade fiat into Bitcoin to pay for something with Bitcoin is if that "something" cannot be bought with fiat. When you think about "somethings" that can't be bought with fiat, the first thing that comes to mind are illegal "somethings." Perhaps that is why such a disproportionate amount of Bitcoin commerce is of the illegal variety. But that would change if it actually saved the customers money to pay with Bitcoin (without it being a complicated process). Since DNotes is a much more stable currency than Bitcoin, it's more realistic to expect that at some point down the road customers may even prefer to pay in DNotes.

As a merchant accepting credit cards I get really tired of paying the credit card companies anywhere from $800 up to $3500 a month!!  When I see that automatically deducted from my account each month it simply drives me more to educate others about digital currency. And yes merchants get it because they see those fees having to be paid for each month and I am one of those thousands and thousands of small businesses out there that pay these credit card institutions each and every month.  They are raking in millions at the expense of small business.

Millions of small business owners struggle to meet payroll, which comes before making any contribution to their retirement accounts. There is another real cost burden. Most small business owners pay a very high price in credit card interest of 27% to 29%. It may sound shocking but many small business owners max out every credit card they have available with six figures or higher unpaid balance.
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