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Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by umanwizard on Monday February 18, 2019 @11:26AM (#19191798)
Cryptocurrencies are not a replacement for banks; they are a replacement for gold.

If cryptocurrencies ever become mainstream, banking services will be built on top of them, just as they were originally built on top of gold.

The only thing I can think of that cryptos let you do cheaper than banks is rapid, relatively frictionless funds transfer, so I’ll admit their utility there. But other than that, what banking services do cryptos give you?

Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by Semaphor on Monday February 18, 2019 @12:26PM (#19192310)
Loans, money transfer, storing your money are all things that can be replaced. Seems like a decent chunk.
Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by jayd16 on Monday February 18, 2019 @12:36PM (#19192410)
Loans no, not at all. Money transfer for coin is extremely inefficient. Volatility makes crypto a terrible place to keep money.

Besides, you're paying for the legal and institutional protection anyway. If crypto made money transfer more efficient, they'd use it and still have the value add of a large institution backing transactions.

Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by Semaphor on Monday February 18, 2019 @10:52PM (#19196453)
I thought we were talking about the hypothetical situation where crypto becomes amazing and not at the current state? Of course, crypto can't replace banks as it is now…
Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by omarchowdhury on Monday February 18, 2019 @01:59PM (#19193218)
> Loans no, not at all.

https://makerdao.com/dai/

$80M DAI issued so far...

Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by Isomatik on Monday February 18, 2019 @04:24PM (#19194591)
That's only useful as a hedge for ETH. A mortgage where you have to put down 373% of the value of the house in liquid currency as collateral is not competitive in the slightest.

https://mkr.tools/

Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by omarchowdhury on Monday February 18, 2019 @06:45PM (#19195549)
Sure, but I'm responding to the disingenuity or possibly the ignorance of saying "no loans, at all."
Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by solotronics on Monday February 18, 2019 @12:27PM (#19192321)
absolute control over your money
Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by umanwizard on Monday February 18, 2019 @12:30PM (#19192341)
Again, nothing stops you from keeping gold under your bed. The reason people don’t do this is because most people don’t actually need, want, or care about having absolute control over their money. And the probability of your home being robbed is much higher than that of your bank (and the FDIC) becoming insolvent.
Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by sparkie on Monday February 18, 2019 @12:56PM (#19192607)
A government can steal your gold an outlaw it, as the US government did in 1933.

They can also try to outlaw bitcoin, but they have a bit more trouble stealing it.

Re:A faster, more efficient cryptocurrency by omarchowdhury on Monday February 18, 2019 @02:03PM (#19193255)
> Again, nothing stops you from keeping gold under your bed.

Can I transmit my gold in any quantity that I want to anyone in the world with an Internet connection for a few dollars in fees?