The Federal Reserve is launching a new price machine known as FedNow within the coming months, which pursuits to provide unfastened and almost instant transactions among banks and retail competitors like PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. This new device ought to probably incentivize banks to combine with it, at the same time as also probably lowering transaction costs to live aggressive inside the market. However, there are nonetheless obstacles in relation to sending giant amounts of cash through those kinds of charge transaction carriers. As era maintains to improve, transaction costs are in all likelihood to decrease even further, doubtlessly making a revenue model based on transaction costs unsustainable. This could have sizable implications for companies that depend upon transaction charges as their number one source of income, which include the ones within the cryptocurrency market.
When it comes to determining the fundamental value of an investment, there are two key factors to consider: tangible and intangible aspects. Tangible aspects include the expected return on investment (ROI), such as a 5% return per year or 20% return per month. These types of investments are made as a preservation of value, similar to converting cash to gold. Intangible aspects include factors like a company’s stance on environmental issues or the potential positive impact of a technology like cryptocurrency on the world at large. When it comes to cryptocurrency, some may argue that the only fundamental value of investing in a coin like Bitcoin is its potential future price as a digital gold or a way to preserve value for peer-to-peer transactions. It may take decades for its value to stabilize, making it difficult to predict its future use cases. Ultimately, it is up to the individual investor to decide the potential value and risks associated with any investment.
The idea of a Federal Reserve-backed instant payment system, such as FedNow, raises questions about the future use cases of cryptocurrencies. Some argue that the secure and instantaneous nature of transactions on a blockchain network is one of the key benefits of using cryptocurrencies. However, with the implementation of a similar system through traditional financial institutions, the incentive to use cryptocurrencies diminishes. Additionally, there is also the possibility that as banks begin to adopt blockchain technology, the need for cryptocurrencies in these transactions may also decrease. It’s important to note that there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of cryptocurrency and its potential use cases. It’s worth considering that the adoption and accessibility of first-world financial systems may not be as widespread as assumed, and alternative forms of value transfer such as cryptocurrency may still have a role to play in these markets.
It’s important to consider the potential limitations and drawbacks of a Federal Reserve-backed instant payment system, such as FedNow, in comparison to a decentralized blockchain network. Unlike a blockchain, a centralized system like FedNow would not be transparent and could potentially freeze or seize funds at their discretion. Additionally, traditional financial institutions may not have the same incentives to prioritize fast, easy, and inexpensive transactions for their customers. Banks operate under a different business model, where they lend out a fraction of deposits and clearing checks and wires can be a slow process. This transformation of business models on a large scale would be required to implement FedNow on a large scale. Furthermore, considering the current political climate and the trend of de-globalization, it’s uncertain if other countries and large players would be interested in integrating with a payment system created and managed by the US Federal Reserve. It’s worth exploring different perspectives on the potential implications of FedNow and its impact on the future of digital transactions and the role of cryptocurrencies.
As we have seen in the past, government-created technology can often be underwhelming and not up to par with the offerings of for-profit companies. This raises questions about the potential success of the upcoming Fed now payment system. While it may offer fast and secure transactions, it is not decentralized and not transparent, leaving room for potential issues such as frozen transactions and seizure of funds. Additionally, the system would require a complete overhaul of traditional banking business models, which may not be feasible or desirable for banks to implement. Furthermore, it is important to consider the current state of geopolitical relations and the likelihood of other countries being willing to integrate with a payment system created and managed by the US Federal Reserve. In light of these concerns, it is unlikely that the Fed now system will pose a significant threat to the use and value of cryptocurrencies. They were designed to hedge against and protect against the very centralized systems that Fed now represents. Despite the recent FTX bankruptcy, Bitcoin only dipped to around 15k and the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains continued to operate seamlessly without interruption. This highlights the importance of transparency and decentralization in financial systems. With blockchain technology, all financial activity is recorded immutably, ensuring that transactions cannot be forged or altered. This is in stark contrast to the 2008-2009 financial crisis, where markets froze, banks stopped processing transactions, and there was a lack of transparency, ultimately leading to intervention by the Federal Reserve. This serves as a reminder of the potential benefits of decentralized, transparent financial systems.