Topic: [ANN][NOTE]DNotes - Celebrating DNotes 3rd Birthday - Forum Now Open - page 340. (Read 814544 times)

This is a very interesting article from 2012:

"Banking in the developing world"   "The poor are different"  

HOW many people in the world have bank accounts and what do they use them for? You would think there would be answers to those questions, given that banking is the quintessentially global business, and is important not only in the West but in developing countries, where banks can help poor people save, borrow and invest. Yet, until now, data on the global reach of financial institutions have been limited. The IMF publishes a financial access survey of depositors and borrowers. But there is little about how much people save or why they borrow. Especially little is known about the banking practices of the poor, women and young people. So a big data hole got plugged last year when the Gates Foundation, the World Bank and Gallup World Poll carried out the biggest survey yet of how people save, borrow, make payments and manage risk. The results have just appeared.

Roughly half of all adults in the world have an individual or joint bank account, according to the new Global Findex database. As one would expect, there is a big difference between banking in the West (where is 89% of adults have accounts) and the developing world (41%). The difference is wider still when it comes to credit cards; half of adults have them in the West, just 7% in developing countries.

Within countries, levels of banking climb sharply with income and education. In Africa, for instance, 55% of people with tertiary education have bank accounts. But only just over 10% of those with primary or no education do.

Banking displays a significant gender gap. In developing countries, 46% of adult men say they have an account, but only 37% of women. The gap is largest in South Asia and the Middle East and north Africa. It is a bit lower in the rest of Africa, where banking penetration as a whole is low: 27% of men have accounts, 22% of women.

The bigger surprises concern how people use banks and other financial institutions. One might expect that, outside the West, banks (which tend to be relatively expensive) would be used largely for business. Not at all. The vast majority of people in developing countries—88%—say they use banks solely for personal use. The commonest reason for taking out a loan, for example, is to pay for family emergencies (typically someone falling ill). That is followed by school fees, home construction and the expenses of a wedding or funeral. In Africa, 38% of those with bank accounts say they use them to receive remittances from family members abroad. One particularly important reason for having an account in Europe, Central Asia and Latin America is to bank money from the government, either salaries or benefits.

In comparison, banks do not seem to be used so much for what seems like a basic purpose: saving money. More than a third (36%) of adults said they had saved some money last year. But only a fifth (22%) said they used a bank or other formal financial institution to do it; 29% saved, but not at a bank (presumably they put the money under the mattress or used it to buy jewellery). A popular form of saving in Africa was the savings club. A group of people get together to bank their pennies regularly and each month the club pays out the entire pot to each member in turn.

The modest use of banks for saving points to what seems like the overall story that emerges from the research. The extent of banking around the world is much patchier and less predictable than one might expect. Of course, bank usage tends to increase with income both globally and within countries. But income does not seem to be the sole determinant. Ghana and Benin are near-neighbours in West Africa and have similar levels of income. Yet Ghana has three times as many banks per head of the adult population as Benin does. Nigeria and Cameron are neighbours and have roughly the same level of banking among the poorest fifth of their populations (17% of the lowest quintiles in each country have bank accounts). Yet rich Nigerians are almost three times more likely than rich Cameroonians to have accounts.

The moral is that other things matter as well as income. Policy makes a difference: does the government make it easy for banks to spread? The banks themselves make a difference: after lack of money, one of the commonest reasons people give for not having an account is the paperwork. And mobile phones make a huge difference. In Kenya, a stunning 68% of adults say they have used a mobile phone to send or receive money in the past 12 months. More than half of them have bank accounts.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/feastandfamine/2012/04/banking-developing-world

What major issues with the existing financial system can DNotes solve?


Half of the world's population does not have banking access and is therefore excluded from participating in economic growth.

Edit - DNotes can also help address all the other issues faced by people without banking access in the following article...

When I can I do a blog post for the retirement CRISP? This is all looking awesome now, TeeGee enjoy your break too my Bro.. 

Enjoy your holidays, TeeGee. I know that there are many Aussie Bitcoin supporters. Hopefully, some DNotes holder will get hold of you. Have fun and enjoy!

Very fun. I'll hopefully have time to write my thoughts on the plane to Australia if they have wifi on the plane. Spent the last two days in Christchurch, NZ. There was an earthquake here in 2011 that killed 185 people, and there is nothing left of the central city (80% of the central business district had to be demolished). Christchurch is home to half a million people. Total cost of rebuild expected to exceed 100 billion - and to take 20 more years!

I thought about crisp for charity or crowd funding crisps (for rebuild purposes - the iconic cathedral etc) so many times walking through the place. Still lots of buildings that haven't yet come down.

Any Aussie Dnotes holders on this forum who live in Melbourne?

This post will be dedicated to maintaining a systematic list of items important to the future of DNotes. Alan's list of issues slowing mass acceptance of cryptocurrency inspired the idea. When you come across something or have an idea to be added, please quote this post and I will keep it updated. Hopefully I can keep all items in order of importance, if you feel something should be moved up or down the list, please state your argument.


What technologies are most important to the future and success of DNotes?


What major issues with the existing financial system can DNotes solve?

1) Micro transactions, under $1 are not feasible. The transaction fees make micro transactions unprofitable if not impossible.


What services are most important to the future and success of DNotes?

1) Direct and simple fiat to DNotes exchange.


What major obstacles does DNotes face to achieve success?

Agreed, it has the potential to impact so many people's lives. Not being prepared for retirement is a scary thing to think about.

I am of the opinion that the Retirement CRISP will end up being the most important CRISP, because of the number of folks it is going to help, AND the impact it may have on thier lives. The others are very important, but so many people are in trouble with retirement, and in such BIG trouble. This press release brings up those points very well.

Smokey

For whatever reason my post got deleted...

Looks great so far! Compelling

Press Release – 1st Draft.
Sneak Peek:


Unprecedented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan Provides Relief for Underfunded Retirement Accounts


DNotes is adding an Unprecedented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan to Provide Relief for Underfunded Retirement Accounts; offering up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus, with one million donated DNotes for the purpose.


Illinois, USA. DNotes, best known as the most stable digital currency with a solid and consistent uptrend, announced an unprecedented new savings plan to help provide some relief for underfunded individual retirement accounts using digital currency savings to supplement the short falls. According to DNotes Co-Founder Alan Yong, one million DNotes has been donated to CR.I.S.P. (Cryptocurrency Investment Savings Plan) for Retirement to encourage savers to supplement their underfunded individual retirement accounts with a long term commitment of 5, 10, 15, or 20 year duration and receive up to 12% yearly interest bonus. ………………….



……..Bitcoin as a digital currency and the associated blockchain technologies are viewed by many highly regarded industry leaders, including Yong, as the greatest technology innovation since the internet. Yong added that the distributed and consensus technologies coupled with the blockchain protocols have significant and positive world changing implications.

Mr. Yong went on to stress that, “We never had and never will have a better opportunity to help the financially disadvantaged and the enormous population of the unbanked who have little means of rising from poverty.”  ……………..


Closer to home, the seriously under funded individual retirement savings are also troubling. RJF, Director of CR.I.S.P. for Retirement expressed his concern, “In these uncertain financial times, it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain a retirement account that will actually see you through your golden years. We believe that the concept of using DNotes to augment your retirement savings is an important consideration.” ..........................

……………………………………………….

We do plan to add the feature, but I didn't commit it into the initial release.

Unprecedented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan Provides Relief for Underfunded Retirement Accounts  - I really like this.  Where do I sign up?  


I think the "CR.I.S.P. for Retirement" in the sub title sounds like a duplication of the preceding Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan.  I also think leaving it out of the subtitle does more to encourage further reading.  It may be better off explained in the first sentence or two.  

Question - Can I set up retirement accounts at my Vault account and transfer them to other people the same way as any other account transfer?  I have a few people that I want to give DNotes and it needs to be REALLY easy for them.  This won't be supplementing an underfunded pension - this is their only retirement plan!!

Unprecedented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan Provides Relief for Underfunded Retirement Accounts
Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan "CR.I.S.P. for Retirement" Launches with up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus

Do you think CR.I.S.P. for Retirement should be in the sub heading?

Good point, need more feedback. Headline and Sub Title can be changed till final submission. The theme is now locked in.

I like the direction. The headline feels like it still needs some work, but I haven't been able to come with an alternative way to say the same thing and make it feel more newsworthy.

In the sub heading, I would recommend removing the one million DNotes part, it starts to feel gimmicky, and I personally would stop reading there (if I wasn't already interested in DNotes), but I do like having the 12% mentioned. Reel them in, get them excited, then tell them about DNotes and why they should be interested.

 

Great job. I have decided to change direction with a new theme and start over. Hope you like the new headline and sub.

There are pros and cons to use Bitcoin as part of the headline. I know the prevailing sentiments. Let’s take a different approach this time:  


Unprecedented Solution For Under Funded Retirement Accounts Supplemented with Digital Currency Savings

One Million DNotes Donated to Encourage an Unprecedented Solution For Under Funded Individual Retirement Accounts Supplemented with Digital Currency Savings with up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus

Illinois, USA. DNotes, the most stable, and one of Coinmarketcap's top 30 cryptocurrencies, launched ………………….

I firmly believe that bitcoin should NOT be mentioned at all in the headline. The process to distance ourselves/go our own way has to start somewhere and this is as good of place as any. I am also sure that once a few of the CR.I.S.P programs have launched there will be other coins to follow suit. I have a few headlines below as well.

Digital Currency, A Solution For Under Funded Retirement Accounts?  I like this one a lot from kanus.

Retirement made easy with CR.I.S.P.

DNotes CR.I.S.P. - The Digital Age Retirement Plan

Successful Retirement using Digital Currency


I'll keep thinking of a few more, but all very good ideas from everyone. Thanks.

I agree.

#1  Unprecendented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan "CR.I.S.P. for Retirement" Launches with up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus

#2  Digital Currency, A Solution For Under Funded Retirement Accounts?   
      (This would also make a great sub-title.)

Bitcoin has been getting a lot of negative PR and I like the fact that these don't mention Bitcoin at all.  You also have to read the article to find out which digital currency the author is talking about. 

I don't think the general population is that interested and / or has any level of trust in bitcoin.  I doubt that most people even know that bitcoin is a digital currency.  Do we even need the wording "bitcoin alternative"?  Is it too early to go it alone?  Enquiring minds want to know... 

Thanks kanus1113,

This one is my favorite:
Unprecendented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan "CR.I.S.P. for Retirement" Launches with up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus

I'll take a stab at it. I only created headlines, no sub headlines.

Bitcoin Alternative DNotes Launches Unprecedented Digital Currency Retirement Fund
Unprecendented Digital Currency Retirement Savings Plan "CR.I.S.P. for Retirement" Launches with up to 12% Yearly Interest Bonus
Bitcoin Alternative DNotes Answer To Rampid Under Funded Retirement Accounts
Digital Currency, A Solution For Under Funded Retirement Accounts?

I can argue that DNotes shouldn't be in the headline, but I can also argue that it should.