I asked the question many times, but NEVER received a reasoned, logical answer. The question is extremely simple: how, and how will the real economy really benefit from the transition to Bitcoin?
Unfortunately, I have to state a fact - many supporters of Bitcoin as the currency on which the economy works, simply do not understand how the economy of countries works, what the central bank is, how the budget is formed, where inflation comes from, and much more ...
The simplest example of misunderstanding: bitcoin will "destroy inflation". Absolute stupidity. Bitcoin itself is indeed a deflationary "currency". But the economy, the economy and the state budget are formed in a completely different way, and a deflationary model is simply not possible in most real situations. Try to simulate and you will understand that the implementation of such a model will instantly lead ... to impoverishment and a drop in living standards, especially for the poor and socially unprotected segments of the population. And it will not solve the problems of the economy ...
In a technical perspective adopting Bitcoin will give the following benefit:
- Financial inclusion - makes it easier for people who are underbanked or unbanked to access financial services.
- Reduced Transaction cost - without the need for intermediaries, international transfers are way too cheaper.
- Improved Security and immutability - with cryptography, transaction are secure and cannot be tampered with reducing the risk of fraud.
- Increased Transparency - since the blockchain that serves as ledger is public, it increase the transparency and accountability of the transaction
- Protection against inflation - with the fixed supply of Bitcoin, it help to protect against inflation by ensuring that the currency value is not eroded overtime
- Decentralization - since Bitcoin operates in a decentralized network , it can provide a certain degree of immunity from the government and central bank financial policies.
and in the contrary it also gives a negative impact in its current situation like:
- Volatility - due to high volatility, it is risky and dificult for businesses to price their goods and services
- Lack of Regulation - due to lack of regulation it is more vulnerable to fraud and money laundering and make the business hard to comply with AML and KYC regulation
- Complexity - this makes it difficult for average person to understand and use.
- Limited Acceptance - at the current state of adoption, Bitcoin is not yet fully adopted making it hard for businesses to accept and consumers to use it.
- Environmental Impact - to secure the network, bitcoin needs miners and consumes a significant amount of energy which can possibly have a negative impact to the environment.
- Legal and Tax Implications - at the current state, Bitcoin is not legal to other countries, and it maybe subject to different regulations and taxes in different jurisdiction which can make it difficult for businesses to operate and for individuals to comply with tax laws.
- Accessibility - people who are not tech-savvy might find it hard to access Bitcoin which can limit Bitcoin's potential to reach wider audience.
- Digital Divide - to access Bitcoin network, people need an internet which make it difficult for people without reliable internet smartphones or laptops to participate in the economy.
So basically government are hesitant to adopt Bitcoin and cryptocurrency because of the possible negative implication it gives since the regulatory framework for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency are yet to be formed.
We have seen on the pros and cons that Bitcoin at its current state is more likely inclined with individual/group benefits that is not regulatory compatible while the negative impact happens when used to business that requires government regulation. And due to the need of internet and technical knowledge it will be bothersome to people who are not tech-savvy and have poor access to internet.
I might say at the current state of technology and internet propagation, the world isn't ready yet to embrace Bitcoin in full or shift to digital currency, only few countries can provide the needed requirement for Bitcoin to fully operates.
Sources:
https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/benefits-of-crypto/#:~:text=Transactional%20freedom%2C%20security%2C%20and%20ease,widespread%20use%20or%20adoption%20yet.
https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/financials/cryptocurrency-stocks/benefits-of-cryptocurrency/https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2010-11/DigitalCurrencies/disadvantages/index.htmlhttps://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cryptocurrency.asp