But how often do you even make international transfer? You need to pay for day to day things and you dont use bitcoin for that. You also need to take loans you also dont use bitcoin for that. You need some cash which bitcoin is still unable to replace. I am doing Ph. D. in financial law and I focus on bitcoin, but I totally understand that the banks do not care about it. Dont forget that the blockchain technology is available to everyone. Banks can create and they already did their own settlement network based on bitcoin technology.
I'm surprised to see a PhD student mking comments like that. I do a lot of international transactions - at least one a day, as I deal in virtual assets. I don't need a loan, and I would encourage everybody to avoid loans. Debt is slavery, so don't become a slave. Banks are extremely concerned about the crypto currency revolution. as it removes the need for banks if carried to the ultimate. Will it get there? Probably not, but it does introduce a major financial instrument that is outside their control, and they hate that.
Blockchains have been around since at least the 1960s. The Bitcoin revolution was to combine a blockchain with a PoW block generation method, and recording the chain on multiple copies of the ledger stored by a large interlinked peer group. Banks will never create a system like that as they cannot control it.
I agree with you on the avoidance of a loan, but I must disagree on the rest. You are obviously against banks. I am not a big fan either, but I think banks do have a place in the world. I dont think older people want to do something with bitcoin and similar. I dont understand why the banks should be extremely concerned? I am surprised that they, according to my findings, care so little, but what should be concerning to them? To the extend even as little country as the Czech Republic, could buy one third of bitcoin right away from its Euro holdings.
Also most of the banks have very little financial control whats so ever. There are a few banks like European Central Bank or other national banks that have any financial influence. Its so because financial means that the banks have a legislative power against others. Commercial banks do not have that, thats on legislature. Don't get me wrong I like the idea of bitcoin much more than the idea of new world crisis created by bankers. Then again did the bankers really created the 2008 crisi or the people who bought faulty products from them? The people who took so much debt they weren't able to repay it?
Also the loans, I absolutely agree with you that asking for a loan is risky and should be avoided, but sometimes its necessary - to start a business for example. To buy a house. Some people really need that to afford their own place. Banks are regulated and insured so the average one can use their product without fear. Bitcoin is now completly different. Who the hell uses it for payments? Its monetary function is absolutely useless now. Why would I pay if in 10 minutes I will have much more than I had?
Look the value of bitcoin is its acceptance and the fact that people know what it is. Problem is that if banks use the same technology and put in to their existing network, they will have much broader acceptace and more trust.