Cryptocurrencies, mobile wallets, CBDCs. Bitcoins, Ethereum, Dogecoin, DCEP, Google Pay, Alipay, Android Pay, … the end of money as we know it is imminent! But is it? Perhaps not. Every time the price of Bitcoins goes through the roof, we are drawn into the same discussion over the end of the state’s dominance of money and the rise of private money. These arguments arise from a simplistic understanding of what money is and more importantly, what modern money is.
This course will cut through all the jargon to reveal the essence of modern money and demystify the hype over digital money. From an understanding of the economics of digital money, you will be able to clearly analyze sensational and exaggerated headlines and news that we are bombarded with on almost every day. When El Salvador announced that Bitcoin would be accepted as legal tender, one periodical proclaimed:
“Emerging markets could be the next big frontier for crypto. A slew of politicians want to follow El Salvador and adopt bitcoin as legal tender.”
In this course, we will help you separate the wheat from the chaff, to identify the real disruptions that today’s financial architecture face on account of the proliferation of digital money across the world. While technology often grabs the limelight when it comes to digital money, it is actually an understanding of the economics of money which holds the key to its future.